Folie à Deux
by RedAnna
Summary: The full story of the beautiful insanity that is Harleen Quinzel and The Joker. A slightly altered take on the twisted love story. Will start before Harleens transition to madness, Harleys time with Joker, her Prison stay, and right through suicide squad.
1. Chapter One

**Author's Note: I have done a lot of research on Harleen Quinzel, and whilst I will keep a lot of her origin story, I will be changing large parts of her past. I am truly intrigued by Harleen, so I'm going to try follow her story from before her transition right through the events of 'Suicide Squad'. A couple of important notes would be that my Joker and Harleen are based of the 'Suicide Squad' versions. I will also tweaking the relationship (such as a lot of the comic events will not happen at all) but otherwise all the best scenes will be untouched. Constructive criticism and ideas are encouraged.**

 **This may be a bit of a slow first chapter, but the more interesting interactions should start next chapter. Please let me know what you think.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter One.**_

Harleen Francis Quinzel considered herself in the carefully polished mirror standing at her vanity. Long golden blonde hair precisely twisted into a thick braid behind her back, large blue eyes lightly surrounded by mascara, pouted lips lightly coated in lip balm. A mauve, button-up shirt tucked cleanly into a smooth black pencil skirt, black patent leather shoes with a small heel, and an impeccable white lab coat completed her look.

Harleen took a long, steadying breath as she worried over her appearance, it was paramount that she was taken seriously as a professional, and her blonde, busty appearance had caused her issues with such in the past. Glancing at the spotless wooden surface of her vanity, she selected her smart, black glasses and pushed them onto her carefully presented face. Though her glasses were technically prescription, they were not needed for more than reading fine print. However they gave her a sense of security, so she nodded briefly at herself, before exhaling sharply and gently pushing her simple, black, leather handbag up to her shoulder and turning from the mirror.

Taking longer than was necessary to lock (and triple check) her peeling front door, Harleen attempted to convince herself that the care was just due to the less-than-stellar neighbourhood she currently lived in, and not an attempt to delay her first official day at Arkham Asylum.

Pushing down the desire to run back into her apartment and hide under the covers of her bed like a child, Harleen made her way to her small, battered, dark green Honda. The old car spluttered to life as she drove carefully to work, strictly never going faster than the speed limit, much to the chagrin of the furious drivers behind her.

As Harleen approached the tall wrought iron gates with a gloomy sign announcing 'Arkham Asylum' she briefly flashed a temporary pass she had been given a week earlier at the bored looking guard, who pressed a small button to open the gates with an ominous creaking sound and returned to his newspaper without a word.

The Asylum looked like something out of a gothic storybook she marvelled. The Asylum was an opposing figure, four stories tall with crumbling dark grey stonework walls, slated black roofing, and overgrown grounds, the place was darkly beautiful, until the heavily barred windows came into focus with a stark reminder of what the Asylum truly was.

Harleen concentrated once more on her calming breathing, before locking her car, steeling her shoulders, and briskly walking towards the heavy metal front doors. Pressing firmly on the white buzzer, Harleen leaned down slightly and announced herself into the accompanying speaker. "One moment, Doctor Quinzel" came the slightly garbled reply, before the doors swung open.

Glancing around the reception area, Harleen couldn't help but be slightly disappointed at the generic appearance of the inside of the building. Squeaky white floors, bland tan walls, and a large wooden desk made up the area, with the only unusual features being panic buttons clearly marked along the walls, barred windows, and thick protective glass surrounding the reception desk.

Approaching the desk, Harleen studied the woman behind the desk, a portly woman of about sixty, with greying brown hair pulled back into a severe bun, glanced up at her. The woman smiled kindly before sliding a large brown packet through a slot in the protective glass.

"Hello, you must be Doctor Quinzel, I'm Patricia Markham, but you can call me Pat. The packet here has the rest of the paperwork for you to sign, your login codes for your computer, and the keys to your office. I added in a brief map for you, just in case" Pat spoke quickly and softly.

Harleen felt some of the anxious ball of tension in her stomach ease slightly at the kindness of the woman. As she reached to grab the offered packet she responded softly "Thank you Pat, you can just call me Harleen if you would like". Harleen focused carefully on her words, ensuring the thick brooklyn dialect of her natural speaking voice did not surface.

"Well Harleen, if you take a quick look at that map you should be able to make your way to Doctor Arkhams office, I've marked it for you, I think he's the first one you'll be seeing today. Oh I nearly forgot, your pass card is here, you'll need it to get through most of the doors here. Good luck honey" Pat said, flashing a warm smile at Harleen, as she handed over a laminated pass card.

"Thank you Pat, I appreciate it" Harleen called as she flashed a smile back at the kindly woman, before making her way over to the large doors. Harleen paused to glance at the pass card she had been handed, a small photo of herself that had been taken upon a previous interview stared back at her. Harleen clipped the pass card to her coat pocket before pulling the map from the packet she had been handed.

Passing through the doors with her new pass card and a last glance at her map, Harleen headed down the long corridor towards the elevators at the far end. The rooms Harleen passed appeared to be primarily storage and office rooms, and some low security risk rooms.

Entering the elevator, Harleen quickly pressed the button for the fourth floor. Harleen continued her calming breaths in the private space. As the doors opened, Harleen once again hurried along the shining white floors as she glanced around at the wooden doors. These rooms appeared to be more offices, and a large sign at the end of the hall indicated a medical ward.

Stopping in front of a door with a polished silver name plate, Harleen knocked quickly on the solid door. "Come in!" Called a deep voice. Harleen opened the door and cautiously glanced around, before laying eyes on an averagely built man in his sixties, the man had sharp brown eyes, and thinning brown hair.

"Hello Doctor Arkham, I'm Harleen Quinzel, I'm here for the internship" Harleen spoke nervously, holding her hand out for Doctor Arkham to shake.

"Yes, yes of course, Doctor Quinzel, I'm pleased to meet you" Doctor Arkham said as he shook Harleens hand firmly before releasing and moving back to sit behind his large desk, indicating that Harleen should take the seat in front of him. "I must say, I was impressed by your resume, your grades were nearly perfect and the recommendation from Doctor Markus was glowing." Doctor Arkham spoke, eyeing Harleen carefully.

"Thank you Doctor Arkham, it's a pleasure to be accepted here. I admire the work here, and I must say the work specifically with the high profile patients caught my attention, as it says in my resume, extreme mental disorders specifically in terms of the criminally insane was a large focus in my studies." Harleen responded eagerly, a thrill of excitement at the idea of her work coursing through her body.

Doctor Arkham nodded sagely at her before leaning back in his large office chair "Yes, I found your thesis most intriguing. Of course you will begin your work with some of the more low risk patients, but then of course I'm interested to see how some our more high risk patients will respond to you"

Harleen nodded back at Doctor Arkham, thrilled at the confirmation she would be able to work with the patients who intrigued her the most. "Of course, thank you Doctor Arkham".

Doctor Arkham stood carefully "Well I think it's best I showed you to Doctor Leland, who will show you around and introduce you to the workings of Arkham Asylum" Doctor Arkham spoke as he opened the door for Harleen, indicating that she should exit ahead of him.

Harleen and Doctor Arkham spoke quietly about her thesis as they made their way down the hall to the a door with the name plate announcing "Doctor Leland". "Well this is where I'll leave you, we'll meet again next week to discuss your time here and your patients. It was nice to meet you Doctor Quinzel" Doctor Arkham spoke briskly, shaking Harleens hand once again before turning and walking back up the hall.

Harleen once knocked quickly before once again going through the classic introductions with Doctor Leland. Doctor Leland was a dark skinned woman with a sleek black bob cut, clear brown eyes, and a stern aura.

Doctor Leland wasted no time in showing Harleen around the Asylum, explaining the vigourous security measures, briefly introducing her to fellow staff members they happened across, and explaining the routine of the patients and staff. Harleen hung on every word, determined not to forget a thing she was told.

Doctor Leland then led Harleen to a door which had Harleens heart skipping a beat, on the solid wooden door was a shiny new nameplate reading 'Doctor Quinzel'. As Harleen picked through the packet she had been previously been given for her keys to the office, Doctor Leland explained that Harleen would be left to settle into her office, with the patient files she had been assigned, until her introductions to her patients later in the afternoon.

Harleen breathed a sigh of relief as she shut her office door behind her. Meeting her new bosses had been intimidating, Harleen however, gave herself a figurative pat on the back for keeping her cool with the new Doctors she had met.

Harleens office was a small room, not as big as Doctors Arkham or Leland's, but it was a nice enough room, with industrial blue carpeting, a tall metal filing cabinet clean beige walls, and a small window set behind an oak desk. The desk held a simple computer, a small notebook, and a stack of files that Harleen assumed belonged to her first patients.

Harleen grinned as she sat on the stiff desk chair behind her new desk, this is what she had worked so hard for, this is what she had sacrificed all through her schooling for. No, she thought abruptly, she couldn't think about the past today, this was her brand new beginning.

Harleen spent the next few hours signing the remaining paperwork, logging on the her computer to copy the online appointment diary into her own small purple appointment book, and reading through her new patient files.

At the end of her first work day, Harleen felt satisfied with her work. While none of patients had disorders that held any true interest to her, having been a schizophrenic middle aged woman, a young man with bipolar disorder (who had been heavily medicated that day, due to an outburst the following night), and an older man with alzheimer's who was prone to violent outbursts, she felt that she had gotten along well with her patients though.

Once Harleen had returned to the comfort of her small apartment, she let her hair down and changed into just a baggy shirt before settling herself on her worn grey couch and glanced at the phone beside her. Harleen bit her lip anxiously before reaching out a slightly shaking hand to the phone and dialing quickly before she could talk herself out of it.

"Hello?" came the gruff voice through phone, Harleen inhaled sharply at the familiar voice before responding quietly "Hi Barry, it's Harleen". There was a long pause before she got a response "What do you want Harleen, I told you not to call me anymore" came the snappish response. Hurt tears burnt at Harleens eyes "But… But we're family Barry" her voice wavered as she almost whispered back. "No, no we're not, not anymore. You know exactly why Harleen. I have no sister, don't call back." the dial tone of the phone rung in her ear as she sniffed back the burning tears.

Harleen didn't want to think about the phone call, she walked briskly to her bedroom, sitting down on the side of her bed before pulling out her sleeping pills from her bedside table. Harleen tried to avoid taking medication where it wasn't necessary, but this seemed to count as an emergency to her. Taking two pills and swallowing them dry, Harleen settled back into her bed, allowing the abundance of pillows on her bed to swallow her up as she faded into the blackness of sleep.


	2. Chapter Two

**Author's Note: I have a question about whether it would be preferred if I just mentioned when Harleens Brooklyn dialect slips through, or if you would like me to try show it phonetically (which I'm not sure how well I could do it without making the writing heavy and hard to read). Also please let me know of any opinions thus far, the more feedback or commentary I get the more motivated I am to post, so please do comment. Please let me know of any errors, so I can correct them.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Two.**_

Harleens first two weeks at Arkham Asylum passed without incident. Harleen had thoroughly thrown herself into her work, pushing back all thoughts of her past and focusing entirely on proving herself as competent to her fellow doctors.

Thoughts of the more high risk patients had not left her mind, as Harleen walked briskly through the Asylum towards her office, Harleen couldn't help but daydream about the possible therapy sessions she would have with them. Her thoughts drifted towards the true reason she had chosen Arkham Asylum as her job choice, The Joker.

Harleens grades had been excellent, enough so that she could have chosen to intern at any number of institutions. Many of her fellow students had questioned her choice of Arkham Asylum, given the unusually high number of staff who were injured, both physically and mentally.

They didn't understand, she reasoned with herself as she brewed coffee in the staff break room, that the chance to understand and even help some of the most notably insane criminals was just too much to give up on, even at the risk of injury.

Inside she ached to start her sessions with the high risk patients, though she enjoyed helping her current patients, they held no true interest for her. Deep down Harleen knew she would not be satisfied until she had a chance to act as a therapist for The Joker.

A chill went up her spine at the thought, The Joker had been the motivation behind her thesis, he had been her reason to select Arkham Asylum as her workplace, she knew she could help him. She knew that she would be the one to understand his chaos, before any other Doctor.

A new sense of determination lit a fire in her belly, if she wanted to help him, she needed to start the groundwork. Harleen knew that as a new Doctor, it would take more than a little work to get to The Joker. Harleen had been shut down rather quickly with a dismissive "You're new here Doctor Quinzel, don't try and rush into more than you can handle" so Harleens only other option was to go over Doctor Leland's head.

Doctor Arkham raised his eyebrows at the presence of Harleen as she stood before him in the staff break room. "Excuse me Doctor Arkham, would you mind if I joined you?" Harleen asked, a sweet smile on her face as placed a hand on the chair across from him. "Oh Doctor Quinzel, why of course, please sit" Doctor Arkham responded politely.

Harleen seated herself before smiling again at Doctor Arkham "It's alright if you call me Harleen, Doctor Arkham. I hope I'm not intruding, I just wanted to thank you again for the opportunity to work here. It was my first choice actually."

Doctor Arkham seemed to relax slightly at her words "Very well, Harleen it is. Well of course. I must say I was surprised that a promising young Doctor such as yourself chose Arkham Asylum to work. It is admittedly not the first choice for most, given the calibre of patient we have admitted" He said.

"Oh well actually, I must admit, the high risk patients are the reason I chose Arkham Asylum in the first place. A major drive in my study was the desire to work with the most extreme cases of the criminally insane. I believe in the healing of people, no matter how far gone they may seem. Even if there was no hope of truly healing the extreme cases I believe there is so much to be gained from further understanding their minds." Harleen spoke passionately, leaning forward slightly as she spoke.

Harleen flushed suddenly, sitting back in her seat "Oh do excuse me Doctor Arkham, I didn't mean to ramble, I-" Harleen was cut off but Doctor Arkham waving a hand lazily, though he eyed her with interest "No need for apologies Harleen, I appreciate the passion, it's not quite so widely spread here of all places. Yes, yes I agree, perhaps we can have you start to sit in on some of our more infamous patients therapy sessions. I of course cannot allow you full access at first but given your specialty, I think it would be beneficial, do you not?"

Harleen was bursting inside at his words, it was more than she could have hoped for "Oh thank you Doctor Arkham, that would be an incredible opportunity!" Harleen eagerly responded, she could hear the distinct Brooklyn dialect slipping through into her speech, cutting off her vowel and adding new ones.

She took a moment to calm herself so that she could push back the accent, she had worked hard to change her speech, she needed to sound professional, she reminded herself sternly. Taking a breath, Harleen thanked Doctor Arkham again. "It's quite alright Harleen, as a matter of fact I believe Doctor Ingles is going to be conducting therapy with Jonathan Crane later this afternoon, stop by Doctor Leland's office and pick up his file, and you may sit in on his session if you wish" Doctor Arkham responded calmly, though Harleen had picked up on the slight upturn of his lips at the appearance of her accent.

After saying goodbye to Doctor Arkham, Harleen quickly made her way towards Doctor Leland's office, Harleen took a moment to smooth her coat and to adjust her glasses, before knocking on Doctor Leland's door. "Come in" came the cool reply from behind the door.

"Hello Doctor Leland, I hope I'm not interrupting. I was speaking with Doctor Arkham and he has invited me to join in on Doctor Ingles session with Jonathan Crane today, he told me to come to you to get a copy of Cranes file" Harleen spoke slightly nervously, unsure of how Doctor Leland would respond to the request.

Doctor Leland's eyes hardened slightly "That's… an interesting decision on his behalf" she spoke stiffly before turning away sharply and walking to her file cabinet. A moment later Doctor Leland slid the file across the desk towards Harleen "There you go, I hope this isn't more than you can handle Doctor Quinzel" Doctor Leland bit out, thinly veiled distaste seeping through her voice.

Harleen picked up the file eagerly, a slight shake to her hands as her anxiety spiked slightly at the other woman's tone. "I'm sure I'll be fine, Doctor Leland, this is what I specialized my study in" she reminded, her tone slightly firmer than usual, a fact which surprised herself.

After a quick goodbye Harleen made her way abruptly to her office, seated behind her desk she glanced at the name on the file 'Jonathan Crane' was not the patient she truly wanted, but it was an excellent stepping stone, if she proved herself in his session, she was sure she could convince Doctor Arkham to assign her to the High Profile patients.

Reading through Cranes file, Harleen couldn't help but to be intrigued, and more than a little anxious at the prospect of meeting him. Jonathan Crane was a brilliant man, he had been a respected psychologist before his obsession with fear had led him down a dark path, involving the unethical and illegal experimentation in chemicals and techniques to manipulate fear.

His start as a psychologist intrigued Harleen, as she found herself reading his file thoroughly, hoping to memorise the whole thing. Glancing at the time on her cool blue computer screen, Harleen decided it was not too early to head down to therapy room four, where she had been instructed to meet Doctor Ingles at prior to their session with Crane.

Harleen found herself waiting impatiently outside the therapy room, as she smoothed her clothing and brushed back her already perfect hair. Harleen was adjusting her glasses for the second time when Doctor Ingles showed up.

Doctor Ingles was a classically handsome man of about fourty, Harleen supposed. His dark hair was thick and neat, he had sharp hazel eyes, and a slightly wide build with a somewhat weak jawline. Harleens eyes however, were immediately drawn to the wispy attempt at a moustache Doctor Ingles had, it looked awful and twitched with every movement of his mouth.

With some effort Harleen drew her eyes away from his hideous moustache and shook Doctor Ingles out stretched hand "Hello Doctor Ingles, I'm Harleen Quinzel, I hope you're okay with me sitting in on your session today" Harleen spoke quickly, eager to get started with their session.

"Yes of course, Doctor Arkham informed me of your passion for the more intriguing types we have down here. Well let's get started, Crane is already in the room, I hope you're not easily offended, a lot of what Mister Crane says is an insult in some form" Doctor Ingles said, before swiping is pass card and opening the door.

"Hello Mister Crane, I have a guest with me today, this is Doctor Quinzel" Doctor Ingles said, motioning for the two guards stood on either side of Crane to stand outside the door while Crane ignore Doctor Ingles entirely. Crane was a thin man, with an unsuspecting face, and wavy brown hair. His arms were firmly shackled to the arms of the solid metal chair, which was bolted to the ground. Haleen could see that his legs were also shackled together.

Harleen took a seat beside Doctor Ingles, across from Crane. "Hello Doctor Crane, I hope you don't mind my presence today" Harleen spoke steadily, a small victory given the knots her stomach seemed to have twisted itself into. For a moment Crane didn't speak, he just appraised the pair with cold eyes.

"I do not suppose it matters whether I do or do not mind, but as you have addressed me properly, I am not opposed to the matter currently. Perhaps you will provide some form of intellectually stimulating conversation for once, rather than the drivel I am usually inundated with" Cranes veiled insults towards Doctor Ingles did not slip past Harleen as she nodded at Crane.

The session was somewhat enthralling, Crane did not seem to be inclined to answer any of Doctor Ingles questions, even questions relating to fear did not garner a reaction from Crane aside from a raised eyebrow. Crane instead seemed to spend his time uttering thinly veiled insults towards Doctor Crane.

As the session ended, Crane turned his attention towards Harleen for a moment before he spoke "You seem too young be here, are you qualified?" Harleen flushed slightly at the attention before glancing at Doctor Ingles, who nodded slightly, before she answered him.

"I am a little younger than most I guess, I had early acceptance to Gotham State University, and I studied hard enough that I finished early" Harleen spoke steadily, he was not the first patient, or even colleague, to question her age. Harleen was proud of this particular accomplishment however, given how hard she had worked to gain acceptance, with a full scholarship through her gymnastics no less, at sixteen and to finish up her studies before turning twenty-three.

"Hmm, interesting. Tell me, Doctor Quinzel, what are you afraid of?" as Crane asked this a particular gleam seemed to enter his eyes. Doctor Ingles sat forward looking slightly flustered "Now Crane I'm not sure you should-" Doctor Ingles began before Harleen cut him off "Oh I don't mind Doctor Ingles" Harleen responded before turning back to Crane.

"I don't think I'm scared of anything unusual, Doctor Crane. I have a lot of the standard, irrational fears." Harleen spoke, a small twist of anxiousness pulled at the knot in stomach again.

"Do continue Doctor Quinzel, what are the 'usual' fears and why are they irrational?" Doctor Crane asked, seemingly interested in the conversation for once.

"Well I'm afraid of sharks, and insects. I think a lot of fear is irrational, don't you? I mean the odds of my coming across a shark, or being actually injured by insects are incredibly small, but I still would go out of my way to avoid them" Harleen studied Crane as she spoke, gauging how he responded to her mostly truthful answer, wondering how he would have reacted to the dark truth, had she told him.

A small spark of excitement entered Cranes eyes "Yes, yes, so you must understand the importance of what can be accomplished without the barriers that fear provides. Imagine how far humanity would progress without the ever present fear that currently looms over us, strangling the path to success."

"I suppose so, but fear is what pushes humanity to expand their knowledge, is it not? There would be a lack of motivation to progress in some areas, without the fear of failure" Harleen questioned, truly interested in his reasoning.

The small spark of excitement in Crane's eyes had grown to a blazing fire of interest. Crane leant forward, his chained hands clinking against the chair "Progression because of fear is for the weak of mind, Doctor Quinzel" he said.

"So what is it that motivates you, Doctor Crane, my theory is that it is the fear of fear itself that drove you so deeply into the experiments that you have done" Harleen hoped he would not taken offense to her words, it wouldn't do well to be kicked out of her first therapy session at this level.

"How fascinating. That's an interesting line of discussion, Doctor Quinzel" Crane said, not having taken his eyes off Harleen. Doctor Ingles, who had been quiet, observing the interaction between the pair spoke up "Our session time has run over, Mister Crane, if you are interested in continuing this conversation with Doctor Quinzel, perhaps I can bring her along to more of our sessions" He offered.

"Yes it has been a long time since I have had any one of moderate intellect in my presence" Crane said, leaning back in his chair as the guards entered the room and began unchaining Crane from his chair, before chaining his hands and feet together again and leading him from the room.

"That was very interesting, Crane doesn't usually say anything more than insults, he seemed to take to you quite well" Doctor Ingles said as they walked from the therapy room. "I was sceptical, I will admit, but I think that I would like to have you join in therapy sessions with Crane. I can see the benefits in having you work with our more extreme patient's, I'll mention it to Doctor Arkham, but I think you can continue joining me in Cranes sessions next week, and we'll see from there how it goes."

Harleen felt the knot of tension in her stomach ease, her heart raced as she held back on a beaming grin. Harleen smiled at Doctor Ingles as she spoke "Wow, that would be wonderful, thank you Doctor Ingles"

Whatever Harleen had been about to say next, was cut off by a ruckus from down the hall. Screaming was heard, along with the voices of guards yelling, before a chilling laugh echoed down the halls.

Harleen felt her heart stop at the sound, she knew that could only be one person. Three guards came into view, dragging a man in a straight jacket by the upper arms. Two of the guards appeared to be bleeding, and the remaining guard was a sickly green shade, and shaking profusely.

Harleen could not take the eyes off her reason for being at Arkham Asylum, he was a tall man, taller than Harleen had imagined he would be. He appeared lean, but even from a distance Harleen could see the powerful muscle he had. His hair was slightly disheveled, still a shocking green colour, his skin had no colour to it, it glowed with a flawless white sheen. His deep red lips were currently pulled back in hysterical laughter as pale blue eyes shined maliciously.

Slowly his eyes came up, and locked onto Harleen. "Well hello, hello, hello, I have a visitor! How pretty, are you my new little toy Doctor? Are you going to come play with me?" Joker laughed again, never taking his gleaming eyes off Harleen. Harleen felt her heart race, as her cheeks heated up. Before she had an opportunity to respond Harleen felt a tug at her arm, as Doctor Ingles pulled her away slightly, leading her back through the secure doors.

"I apologise Doctor Quinzel, there must have been another incident with The Joker, he should not have been moved till after the halls had been cleared." Doctor Ingles moustache twitched again, which drew Harleens gaze against her will. "It's fine Doctor Ingles, nothing happened. Actually I found it fascinating, The Joker was a major factor in my decision to specialise in the criminally insane"

Harleen glanced behind her once more, peering through the doors closing behind her to catch a glance of The Joker leaving. Joker turned abruptly, as if feeling her gaze. He winked exaggeratedly at Harleen, snapping his teeth at her in an almost playful manner, before the door closed heavily, blocking her view.

Harleen made her goodbyes with Doctor Ingles quick, as she walked towards the exit, heading towards her car. Her heart had not stopped racing, even as she entered her apartment and carefully removed her shoes. Flopping back onto the couch, Harleen couldn't shake her thoughts of The Joker and even Crane from her mind, this is what she had been working for.

Harleen knew, that soon she would be the primary doctor for the extreme patients, she would be the one to make the medical breakthroughs, to help those who had never been helped. She was close, and she would do all she had to do to make her desires a reality.


	3. Chapter Three

**Author's Note: I'm thinking currently that Joker will be in the next chapter, I apologise for the slow build to his appearance but things will definitely pick up after he is introduced to Harleen. I hope my characters are believable enough, I have changed them slightly but I do want them to be at least slightly in character. Please do comment your thoughts, oh and I apologise for any mistakes.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Three.**_

A month had passed since Harleens first session with Crane, and gradually Harleen had been transitioned gradually to be his primary doctor. It had started with Harleen sitting in on Doctor Ingles sessions with Crane, when Crane had proven to be much more receptive to Harleen, she had eventually begun to lead the sessions, before taking the sessions on her own.

The sense of accomplishment and pride warmed Harleen at every thought of her work, she was progressing quickly. It hadn't escaped the notice of some of her fellow doctors how quickly Harleen had been allowed access to the high profile patients, and while some would congratulate Harleen for her progress, there had been a lot of dirty glances and condescending comments hinting at Harleens looks being the reason for her success.

Harleen tried not to think about the nastier comments, though the slight burn of hurt still stung her chest at the thought. It wasn't unexpected, she supposed as she slowly ate a salad in the staff break room, but she couldn't help but long for the acceptance she would receive once she proved she was improving her patients.

Harleen was having a good day however, she had settled a transition plan with her young bipolar patient, Matthew, to be moved to a lower security mental facility that afternoon. With her success with Matthew in mind, Harleen considered what would fill the time she would have free once Matthew was gone.

The idea that perhaps she could add another high profile patient into her free time thrilled her, she thought she had made a good impression on Doctor Arkham with her successful sessions with Crane (successful in the sense that he talked in depth with her on his views, and kept his insults to a minimum), even Doctor Leland had been begrudgingly impressed with her work.

Yes, she thought, she would stop by Doctor Arkhams office to discuss the possibility of seeing another high profile patient in place of Matthew. Even if it was just sitting in on another doctor's sessions again, it would be progress and another step towards working with The Joker.

Harleen cleaned up her lunch before walking briskly towards Doctor Arkhams office, knocking on the door softly, she waited for the call of "Come in" before seating herself in front of Doctor Arkhams desk.

"Harleen, what can I do for you?" Doctor Arkham asked, steepling his fingers and pressing them under his chin.

"Well Doctor Arkham, I have a patient being transitioned into a lower security facility, and I was wondering what you thought of me filling the free time with another high profile patient? I think my work with Crane has gone very well and I'm eager to add bigger challenges to my plate" Harleen tried to keep the nervous shake out of her voice, she couldn't gauge the look on Doctor Arkhams face as she spoke.

Eventually after a somewhat tense silence, that had Harleen stopping herself from running out of the door, Doctor Arkham smiled. "Yes, I had heard about Matthew, I was happy to hear you made such great progress with him. I do have a patient who has a primary doctor eager to hand him off actually, though I'm not sure if this is more than you can handle Harleen".

Harleen felt a rush of excitement and sadness pulse through her at the challenge of a patient whose own doctor had given up on him "Oh I would appreciate the chance to at least meet this patient, I assure you I can handle the challenge. If you allow me one session, you can decide to take me off the case without argument if you don't think it's a good idea, Doctor Arkham" Harleen could feel herself beginning to ramble, and took a moment to suppress the accent that threatened to slip out in her nervous excitement.

Doctor Arkham sighed, though Harleen thought she could see him pressing his lips together tightly to suppress a smile "I have a lot of reservations about this Harleen, the security will have to be raised, and this patient has a particularly gruesome history" after a slight hesitation he sighed once again "Okay Harleen, I'll allow you to take on this patient, I'm running out of options when it comes to his treatment in any case. But at any sign of trouble, you are to drop him immediately"

Harleen internally squealed, before reprimanding herself for losing her professionalism, even internally. "Thank you Doctor Arkham, I'll do my best with the patient" Harleen spoke calmly, despite her racing heart, could it possibly be The Joker himself?

Doctor Arkham nodded slightly before turning to his filing cabinet and rummaging through briefly before turning and handing her a thick file, with slight hesitation "I do hope this goes well Harleen. You'll need to continue with your regular patients, but you can begin sessions with your new patient as early as tomorrow if you wish. Be prepared, Harleen, the security measures are a lot stricter for this patient than anything you have experienced so far."

Thanking Doctor Arkham, Harleen couldn't keep the small grin off her face, placing a hand over her mouth she schooled her expression before hurrying to her office with the file tightly clutched in her hands. Seating herself behind the desk Harleen took a calming breath before opening the file. A small rush of disappointment ached through her at the lack of the The Joker's name on the front page, which was quickly replaced by equal measures of excitement and anxiety at what she saw. Waylon Jones, better known as Killer Croc' gazed up at her from a large picture, a startling reptilian man, built very largely, he was impossibly strong, with thick green scales covering his body, and sharp teeth that were bared at the camera.

Killer Croc', Waylon Jones, she corrected herself mentally, was infamous. Known to generally keep to waterways and sewers, he acted as animalistic as he looked. The man had murdered thoughtlessly, and even eaten his victims before, a fact which made her feel distinctly nauseous.

Harleen wasted no time in memorising the file, before pulling a blank notebook towards her and planning her time with Waylon extensively, should she forget herself in her anxiousness of meeting a metahuman such as Killer Croc'.

The following day seemed to come both too slowly and too quickly at the prospect of her meeting with Waylon Jones. Harleen felt none of the regular excitement at talking to her two low risk patients, as she kindly worked with them in their morning therapy sessions. Harleen had already downed two cups of coffee, with a pump of hazelnut for luck, by the time she made her way down to the maximum security ward.

Harleen was greeted by the head of security, Jim Staples, a beefy and rather bland man who took an extensively long time explaining the security procedures around Waylon. "The room is reinforced steel, the chairs are welded to the ground, his restraints are never to come off, the muzzle stays on at all times. He's been tranqued but the sedatives never do much for the beast. The doors are triple locked and a guard will be armed inside the room." Jim droned, seemingly bored at the interaction.

Harleen couldn't help but feel shock at the measures taken around him, the man was truly treated like a beast, but Harleen said nothing and nodded along. "Oh and there are panic buttons on every wall, and underneath the table" Jim added, before opening the heavily secured doors. Harleen felt a small increase in her mounting anxiety at the sight of a guard standing inside the room, a very large gun tightly in his hands, pointed at the ground.

Harleen glanced around before meeting the eyes of Waylon Jones, the man was even more intimidating in person, the heavy restraints did not detract from her anxiousness, though she was excited all the same.

Jim nodded once more at Harleen before leaving without a word. Harleen seated herself at the table before clearing her throat "Hello Mister Jones, I'm Doctor Quinzel, I'll be your primary doctor from now on, I hope that's okay" Harleen spoke calmly, holding contact with his dark reptilian eyes.

Waylon seemed to growl deeply before Harleen realised he was chuckling "No one's called me Mister Jones in a long time Doc'"

Harleen smiled slightly unsurely at him "Would you prefer I called you something else Mister Jones?

Another deep rumbling chuckle was all the answer she received. "How do you feel about being here Mister Jones, do you hope to gain anything from therapy?" Harleen continued. Waylon sent her a disparaging look, his scaled brow moving as though he was raising an eyebrow.

"Yes I expected that response, probably a silly question, huh?" Harleen said, sitting forward a little, an act which did not go unnoticed by the guard in the room, judging by the slight raising of his large gun.

"How about we talk about something else" Harleen decided "How about your favourite colour?" Harleen pushed lightly, curious to see the response she would get.

A true deep laugh echoed around the room, large, sharp teeth flashing behind Waylon's muzzle "I've never been asked that, are you sure you're a shrink, Doc? I think you'd taste better than the last one though" Waylon rumbled.

Harleen's stomach knotted a little tighter, though she continued as though he hadn't commented on how her flesh would taste "My favourite colour changes like the weather, but I like pink" Harleen continued, gauging the interest in Waylon's eyes.

Waylon was silent for a minute, before he shifted slightly in his seat, causing the guard to abruptly raise his gun level with Waylon "Please lower the gun Fred, there's no need to use it here" Harleen addressed the guard, whom she had been briefly introduced in her second week of work.

Fred raised an eyebrow at her, but lowered his gun to its previous position without comment. Another moment of silence followed before Waylon spoke again "I prefer blue" Harleen internally smiled at his response before continuing the session calmly.

Harleen considered her notes as she walked to her office after her session with Waylon had finished. He had been hesitant to answer her gentle questions about normal things such as favourite colours, seasons, places, and such but Harleen suspected that was due to lack of ever having been asked before more than reluctance to talk to her.

He had gotten agitated at mention of being captured and contained, and what his past was like, which was unsurprisingly common. Harleen felt some level of sympathy for Waylon, she didn't think he had been born a monster, she suspected that the monstrous things he had done, the animalistic man he had become, was the outcome of being treated like a monster from the moment of his birth, when his reptilian appearance had frightened those around him. He was treated as a monster, so he became one, she concluded in her head.

Harleen sat at her desk comfortably before copying out her notes and opinions neatly. Her plan thus far was to treat him like the man he was, rather than the beast he appeared to be. Running a hand over her hair, Harleen tightened her ponytail before adjusting her glasses on her nose. This is what she had come here for, to work with people like Waylon, to delve into their psyche and unravel the puzzles.

Her thoughts on the way back to her apartment drifted to the patient she truly desired to be assigned, The Joker. It was only a matter of time she decided, once she proved she could handle being Killer Croc's doctor she knew she would inevitably be allowed access to Joker as his doctor, where she knew she needed to be.


	4. Chapter Four

**Author's Note: Joker sessions will begin in the next chapter! Which will be up in a few hours most likely, to make up for this short chapter. The story will really gravitate around their sessions for a while once they begin, so if you'd like more in-depth sessions with Scarecrow or Killer Croc' (or any other character interactions) just tell me down below. As always comments are encouraged, good or critical.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Four.**_

Harleen felt particularly pleased this morning, she had a bounce in her step as she made her way through the various security measures on her way to her session with Waylon, she had a surprise for him that had her curious to see his reaction.

Harleen greeted Jim briefly, before spotting the thing that had her excited behind them. "Oh you have it! That's great, I think this is going to be a good thing" Harleen spoke quickly running her hands over the object.

"Are you sure about this Harleen?" Jim questioned "What if he got his hands on the thing, he could hurt someone with it, he could throw it at you" he argued.

"Jim, if Waylon was loose and in the mood to do damage, he wouldn't need anything to help him" Harleen reasoned "Besides I think this will put him in a good mood, that should make things easier on his guards" She added.

"Fair enough Harleen, I don't agree with it but you're the doctor" Jim sighed before opening the door for her. Harleen grabbed the cart and pushed it into room in front of her "Hi Waylon, I have a surprise for you today" she huffed slightly as she turned the cart to face Waylon.

Waylon stared at her, before glancing at the cart. Harleen thought she saw surprise flicker across his face, though he said nothing. "I was thinking about our session last time, and it occurred to me that you haven't had much of a chance to be around society in any normal sense, so I got this for our session today" Harleen said, taking her seat across from Waylon.

"A TV?" question Waylon glancing back to the television on the cart briefly. "Well it was a mission to find one that ran on batteries but I managed, I recorded all the episodes I could find of entertainment networks, BET network, and the news to start with" Harleen replied, slightly pleased with herself.

"So we're gonna be watching TV for therapy today Doc? Maybe I won't eat you" Waylon rumbled. Harleen flickered a quick smile at him before getting up to turn on the TV and selected the BET network to run.

Harleen spent the session carefully noting how Waylon reacted to the shows, he didn't say anything, but his eyes remained carefully trained on the screen the whole time. As the session came to an end Harleen switched off the TV and turned to Waylon "What did you think, Waylon?" she questioned. He remained silent for a moment before nodding at her "I like it" he said simply. Harleen grinned to herself before raising her hand to cover her mouth.

"Well we can continue with this next session, but I will have to ask a few more questions next time as well Waylon" Harleen said, as she gathered her notes and said her farewells to the guards.

Harleen felt good about her work, it was the bright spot in her life, however her personal life was another story. Nightmares had been plaguing her sleep, even her sleeping medication wasn't helping anymore. Harleen stopped by the bathroom to carefully reapply powder to the dark circles under her eyes.

Harleen stared at her reflection, in the fluorescent bathroom lighting she could see the shadows of nightmares in her eyes. She needed to push them down, her past couldn't be changed, she reminded herself painfully. Harleen took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled as she straightened up, she re-tied her long hair into a tight bun, before smoothing her tailored black pants and adjusting her deep green blouse.

Harleen took a moment to school herself, she was a professional, she couldn't allow herself to think about the bad things in her mind. Part of her chided herself at that thought, what would she say if it was a patient who had said that to her? She wasn't a patient though, she was Doctor Harleen Quinzel and she needed to be a calm, collected, professional; even if that meant pushing down the parts of her mind that hurt.

Harleen adjusted her glasses once more, as a sort of reminder that she was a real doctor and she couldn't allow her emotions to seep through. She smiled at herself at the mirror, a slightly awkward smile that kept her lips tightly sealed over her slightly crooked front teeth, and returned to her office.

Harleen was finishing up with writing out her report on her sessions so far with Crane, which were going well she thought; he had spoken briefly about a time in his life he had been ruled by fear, when he was a bullied child, and it had been a major step forward in gaining insight to his actions.

As she moved to return the file to the cabinet on her left, she heard a knock on her door. Calling for the person to enter, Harleen straightened her desk quickly before glancing up at Doctor Arkham, who had entered her office.

"Hello Doctor Arkham, what can I do for you?" Harleen asked, sending a small smile at the man.

"Hello Harleen, I heard that Mister Jones took well to his session today. I must admit, I was sceptical, but you do seem to have a way with the patients." He responded as he took a seat in front of Harleen.

"Oh yes, I think involving him in normal human society, something which has never happened with him due to his appearance, is a large step forward in helping to humanise him in a way he hasn't been offered before" Harleen said, saying more than she had meant to in her enthusiasm.

"You do have a way of seeing our criminal patients that is truly unique, Harleen. However I came here to talk to you about The Joker actually" Doctor Arkham said carefully.

Harleen felt her heart leap up into her throat, she cleared her throat gently before replying "Oh really? What did you want to talk about?" She said, hoping her nervous excitement didn't show in her voice too much.

"Well his current psychiatrist has resigned, from psychiatry in general actually, as a result of working with The Joker. I have given it some consideration and would like to offer you the opportunity to be Jokers primary doctor. This isn't a decision to make lightly, none of Jokers previous doctors have emerged unscathed, but given the promising work you've made with Crane and Jones, I think you can handle it" Doctor Arkham replied, a slightly grim expression on his face.

Harleen paused for a moment to collect herself, this is what she had been working towards, this was an incredible opportunity, though Harleen did feel fear in her tightened chest at the prospect of actually being face to face with The Joker.

"I think this is an incredible opportunity, I will accept of course, though I think my low risk cases are best handed over to other doctors once I am seeing Crane, Jones, and Joker" Harleen responded, proud that her voice remained calm.

"Of course, I'll have Doctor Leland redistribute your low risk cases. I have The Jokers case with me, which I'll leave with you. Please take the weekend off to prepare for Joker on Monday. I do hope you understand the magnitude of what being Jokers doctor means, Harleen. His previous Doctors have all been damaged, mentally or physically, or even killed." Doctor Arkham solemnly said, as he rose from his chair.

"Yes, I understand, I'll come to you if I have any concerns, Doctor Arkham, and thank you for the opportunity" Harleen replied, leaning over her desk slightly to shake Doctor Arkhams hand and to take the ominously thick file in his other hand.

Harleen refrained herself from running to her car, as she made her way out of Arkham Asylum, Jokers folder clutched tightly to her chest, her heart pounding in her chest as though trying to burst out. She was almost astounded that it had actually happened. She finally was Joker's doctor, she would be the one to pick at the twisted puzzle of his brain, she would understand, finally, who The Joker really was.


	5. Chapter Five

**Author's Note: So I find it harder to write Joker correctly, especially when Harleen is not Harley, so writing these therapy sessions are going to take a little longer, but I'll update as quickly as I can. I want to make it clear that some of the dynamics of Joker and Harleens relationship will be a little different, the obsession more mutual so a few little things will happen differently, but they will definitely still be the same intense, crazy, obsessed couple. Please tell me what you think of my portrayal of Joker so far.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Five.**_

Harleen spent her weekend religiously working on her gymnastics, something she had not had an opportunity to do as much as she would have liked since she began working. The exercise helped keep her racing mind busy, as she distracted herself from the thoughts of Joker.

Harleen spent an extra twenty minutes on her morning routine the day of her first meeting with Joker. She carefully smoothed her hair into sleek, high ponytail, adding a little hairspray to ensure it held. She applied careful mascara, along with a touch of concealer over her dark under eyes, and a touch of her favourite berry lip balm. She had carefully chosen her outfit the night before, a crisp, pale blue, button up shirt, a sleek pencil skirt that brushed her knees, and her favourite black shoes with a small heel.

Harleen gently put on her glasses, as she stared at her reflection, she needed to appear as collected, and professional as possible today. It was important, she decided, that she be taken seriously as a doctor in her appointment. Harleen flashed a smile at herself, it still looked awkward with her teeth still pressed together firmly to cover her front teeth, she sighed. Harleen steeled herself in front of the mirror before spraying a light perfume over herself, and collecting her handbag.

The morning passed too quickly for Harleens liking, she tried to collect herself slightly as she talked with Crane in his session, Harleen ended up having an intriguing conversation with Crane about the evolutionary necessity of fear, Crane had a lot to say on the subject and had eventually agreed with Harleen that in the era of cavemen, fear would have been a useful tool in some situations. Any other day this would have been a major achievement with Crane, to have him even minimally alter his views on the subject, but Harleen had rushed through her report of the session to prepare for Joker.

Harleen had read through Jokers thick file numerous times, it mostly contained his extensive police record, his terribly violent history in the Asylum, and every previous psychiatrists report, though they all seemed to have come to a different conclusion on his diagnosis. As his name, birthday, birth place, family, and anything else that would be of importance was unknown, Harleen decided she would just have to start fresh, and gather her own information on the man.

Glancing at the time, Harleen exhaled shakily, she compulsively smoothed her outfit, adjusted her hair and glasses, and triple checked that she had her new blue pen and fresh notebook, before making her way towards the maximum security unit. Jim greeted her with a stern expression, before going over the extreme security measures that she was already aware of.

She waved off the notion of the two guards assigned to Joker being present in the room, he was secured in a straight jacket and shackled by his hands and feet to the chair. Jim looked as though he wanted to argue with Harleen, but handed her a panic button attached to a thick lanyard instead. Harleen thanked Jim, and the two guards standing outside the secure door with large guns held tightly in hand, and entered the room.

Joker managed to look completely at ease, and simultaneously as menacing as possible, whilst shackled to the chair and securely wrapped in his straight jacket. His green hair was now smoothly brushed back, and his piercing blue eyes were trained with laser focus on Harleen. Harleen studied his unnatural white skin, littered with, admittedly beautiful, tattoos. His red lips were pulled back into a large grin, against his sharp jaw.

"Hello Mister Joker, I'm Doctor Quinzel. I'll be your psychiatrist, I hope that's okay with you" Harleen said as she seated herself across from Joker. Harleen took note of the gleaming silver that covered his teeth, as Joker leaned forward with his wide grin. His blue eyes gleamed maliciously, a curious glint to in his eyes. His smile currently reminded her of a sharks, but sent a thrill down her spine all the same.

" _Doctor_ Quin- _zel_ I've been waiting for you, come to be my new _friend?_ Come to play with me?" He grinned, his voice was raspy and his words lilted in strange places, as though he was playing with the words in his mouth as he uttered them.

"I've come to be your doctor, Mister Joker. I was very interested in meeting you" Harleen admitted, fighting down the flush that threatened to rise in her cheeks at the admission.

The joker threw back his head in a chilling laugh, a laugh which imprinted itself on Harleens memory. "Are you a fan _sugar sugar sugar"_ The Joker questioned, a slight chime to his tone, he leaned forward again, his wide gleaming smile still in place as he flicked his tongue over his teeth.

Harleen raised an eyebrow slightly at his pet name for her "Doctor Quinzel is fine, Mister Joker. I wouldn't say I'm a fan, but I find your psyche fascinating" Harleen spoke coolly, sounding a lot calmer than she felt.

The Joker twisted his head in yet another chilling laugh, a little more venom seemed to seep from the sound this time. "You want to get in my head _Doctor?_ Are you gonna return the favour, let me _crack_ open that pretty blonde skull of yours and see what we can find?" His eyes seemed to gleam, even in the harsh overhead lighting, as he studied Harleen, staring deep into her eyes.

"I think I'd prefer my skull in one piece, Mister Joker, it might be hard to work if it's not" Harleen said, before she could stop herself. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment at the unprofessional words. Joker, however, laughed gleefully "Oh _doctor_ you're a secret spitfire aren't you? I think I'll like playing with you" He spoke loudly, in his deep, rasping voice.

"Is that what you did with your previous doctors, Mister Joker?" Harleen questioned, trying to pull herself into a more professional frame of mind.

Jokers face darkened for a moment, his eyes becoming flat and dead, again reminding her of a shark. "Oh yes, but I didn't like them. Such _boring, weak_ little minds" The Joker cackled once again, his eyes lighting up again, making Harleen unintentionally let out a silent breath she didn't realise she'd been holding.

"But you won't _bore_ me, will you pumpkin? You want to _play_ with me. Tell me _Doc'_ are you scared of me?" Joker continued as his shark-toothed smiled reappeared, his eyes never leaving Harleens face.

"No, I'm not scared of you." Harleen replied steadily, unsure if she was lying "You interest me, but right now I'm not scared" she continued.

Joker studied her face for a moment before laughing shortly, exaggerating the individual 'Ha's' "Maybe we'll change that _Quinzel"_ he drawled "But I want to keep you now, tell me, are we going to play _games?_ " He finished in a rasping whisper

"Maybe, if you answer some of my questions next time, then perhaps we can play a game" Harleen agreed, chiding herself mentally, she shouldn't play into his games. But if it got him to talk about himself, she reasoned, then they would both gain from it.

"Mmmm" The Joker growled, twisting his neck "Do… Do you promise _Doc'"_ The Joker's voice had Harleen enthralled, it seemed to hang in the air, twisting around her mind. Harleen mentally shook herself.

"Next session, Mister Joker" Harleen said, her voice quavering ever so slightly. The Joker sung his goodbyes in a tune as chilling as his laugh, as Harleen pushed her chair back and said goodbye.

Exiting the room, Harleen nodded her thanks at the guards, who seemed vaguely surprised to see her exit the room unscathed, but nodded back at Harleen as she made her way to her office.

Harleen exhaled sharply, once she was seated behind her desk, letting go of a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Harleen wrote her notes slowly, The Joker's voice seeping into her mind. Harleen found him fascinating, in a scientific sense, she assured herself mentally.

Though another part was intrigued by him as a whole, the man was charismatic, his voice like gravel and honey, and what should be unattractive features; were also enrapturing. His tattoos caught her attention as well, the ones she could see. ' _Damaged'_ scrawled neatly across his forehead being one she made a note to ask about next time she saw him.

Harley shook herself slightly, as she walked towards her car, finally having finished her careful notes. Harleen adjusted her glasses, she was a doctor, she couldn't think of her patient, especially one as notorious as The Joker, as attractive.

That night Harleens nightmares recurred as usual, terrible memories playing out before her. However just before the worst part of her nightmare played, where she began screaming at herself to wake up, she heard an echoing laugh. With a flash of green and a glint of silver, Harleen woke up. Gasping for breath, Harleen sat up right, that had never happened before she thought vaguely, before falling back into a blissfully dreamless sleep.


	6. Chapter Six

**Author's Note: Alright this is more interaction between Harleen and Joker, I'm not sure how I'm doing with writing Joker, so please share your thoughts with me. I'm working on the next chapter right now, so it should be up soonish.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Six.**_

Harleen spent the next two days focusing her efforts on Crane and Wayne. Wayne hadn't threatened to eat her since she had starting bringing the TV with her, and had even laughed at a show he had seen, which Harleen considered great progress. Crane had not made further breakthroughs, although he had opened up to Harleen a little more on the matter of Gotham State University, where he had been a professor and, coincidentally, Harleen had been a student.

Word had spread that Harleen was now primary doctor to The Joker, in addition to the infamous Scarecrow and Killer Croc'. Harleen had noticed the stares; some being glares, some being looks of curiosity, although no one had approached her until the day of her second session with Joker.

Harleen was sat at a small table in the staff break room, slowly eating her granola and yogurt, as she considered how Joker would take to the next session she had planned. A tall, slightly plump, woman with brunette hair had taken the seat in front of her and began speaking "I'm Tracey Lynn, you're Harleen right? I heard you have three high security patients, and that one is The Joker. How did you manage that? I mean I- uh, other doctors have had their eyes on those cases for a while and you haven't even been here six months" Her tone carried a hint of envy, and Harleen could tell by the hardness in her eyes that she was unhappy with Harleens quick progression.

Harleen studied the woman for a moment, she knew what some had been saying. That because she was so new, there was no way she could have been given her intensive cases without doing _something_ to get them. Harleen had heard whispers that she was sleeping Doctor Arkham, that he had given her the cases because of her looks. Harleen frowned. She had been silent a moment too long when she replied "I was given the patients I have because I worked for it. My speciality is the criminally insane, I received them because I'm good at what I do." Harleen said, a hint of steel in her tone.

Tracey flushed, clearly unsure of how to respond. "If you'll excuse me, I have a session" Harleen said coolly, as she stood and cleared her dishes. Harleen focused on her breathing as she made her way to the maximum security unit, she had expected this sort of response of course, but she still felt the burn of shame in her chest at the whispered rumours.

Harleen smoothed her clothing and adjusted her glasses, trying to add another layer of cover over her dark under eyes, before greeting Jim and walking past the guards into the room that held The Joker. Her eyes fell on his relaxed form as he pierced her with his eyes. "Hello Mister Joker, how are you today?" Harleen asked, scanning his restrained form as she sat down.

"Doctor, come back to _play_ with me today? Going to keep your promise sugar?" The joker responded, ignoring Harleens question. Harleen scanned his various visible tattoos, before letting her eyes lock with his. Her heart leapt into her throat at the eye contact, it took her a moment to remember what she was doing as she leaned back into her seat carefully.

"I can't free your hands to play properly, but I think we could manage to play a card game. I brought a deck with me if you'd like to play. The rule is that for every game we play, you must answer a question I have" Harleen offered studying Jokers response.

He growled and twisted his neck around before chuckling slowly "Sounds _fun_ doctor, but let's raise the stakes a little, _hmm_?" He paused, a wide toothy smile flashed his silver teeth at her, sending a thrill through her body. "How so?" She asked, feeling slightly apprehensive.

"Well" He drawled, leaning in "If you win the round I'll, uh, answer a question, and if I win, you'll answer one of mine. Doesn't that sound fair _sugar"_. Harleen considered his words, something in her told her to say no, but she knew that if she wanted to get anywhere with The Joker, she needed to play into his games, at least slightly.

"Okay" Harleen agreed as she shuffled through the deck of cards she had brought along with her. Harleen set the cards out slowly, she was careful not to look at his cards as she raised them for him to see. He flashed another of those grins that had her heart skipping a beat. He seemed to growl lowly, before instructing her on what to do with his cards.

"Wouldn't this be easier if you, uh, let me out of this jacket _doc'_?" he purred as Harleen shifted her cards and placed them down for him to see. She flashed a small smile at him "You know I can't do that Mister Joker, you have a history of hurting your doctors" Harleen replied, raising a hand to her mouth quickly to wipe away the smile.

Joker inhaled slightly and laughed chillingly "Oh but I _like_ you Doc', I wouldn't kill you" he breathed, before instructing Harleen with his cards. "Well, well, well, would look at that. _I won_." Joker laughed again and strained in his restraints slightly as he moved forward to stare into her eye "Now, uh, Doc, you're gonna answer truthfully for J aren't you? Daddy doesn't like lying"

"I won't lie to you, Mister Joker" Harleen said, she considered him calling himself _J_ and _daddy,_ it made her throat catch and she wasn't quite sure why.

"I want to know…" Joker sing-songed before his eyes darkened as he almost growled his question "What is your full name, _Quinzel_?"

Harleen didn't know what she had expected him to ask, but that hadn't been it. She hoped her surprise hadn't shown on her face as she replied "Oh, my full name is Harleen Francis Quinzel" Harleen wasn't startled as he laughed this time.

"Har _leen_ Quin _zel._ Harley, Harley, Harley Quinn. _Harlequin_." He sung before twisting his head to laugh for longer than Harleen had ever heard him laugh for. "I like it, I like it, I like it" He muttered, grinning widely "Harlequin and the Joker, were we made to be, Harley?" He teased.

Harleen wasn't sure what to say, no one had called her Harley before, let alone Harlequin. Her previous boyfriend had teasingly called her Lee occasionally, but never Harley. "I take it you like my name Mister Joker? But it's Doctor Quinzel" She eventually said, ignoring his last comment.

The Joker growled lowly before flashing his tongue over his gleaming teeth in response. "Want to play again, _Harleen_?" He asked finally.

Harleen won the next round thankfully, she thought for a moment as he gave a shark-toothed smile "Why do you have 'damaged' tattooed on your forehead?" She eventually asked. She didn't want him to lie, as she was sure he would have if she had asked a question about his name or parents.

The Joker laughed "Oooh a _fun_ question. I think I'll keep you Harley, Harley, Harley" he said. "Well I thought I'd, uh, save you doctors a little time, sugar, I'm a, uh, nice guy like that. See I'm not sure if you knew this _Doc_ " His voice dropped to a growling whisper "But I've been told that I'm a bit _insane"_ He cackled madly before leaning forward to snap his teeth at the air in front of him, which made Harleen jump a little, causing Joker to laugh loudly again.

"We can play one more round, Mister Joker" Harleen said, collecting the cards. She decided to let go his playing with her name, for now at least. Five minutes later and Joker had inevitably won again, Harleen wondered if he had let her win the second round just to see what she would ask.

The Joker remained perfectly still this time, as he trained his unmoving eyes on hers "Tell me, _doc,_ why oh why have you not been sleeping?" He asked. Harleen froze slightly at his question, he was incredibly observational if he had noticed the marks under her eyes that she had worked carefully to cover up.

Harleen briefly considered lying, and saying that she had been sleeping fine, or that she had just been busy with work, but once she opened her mouth to speak, the truth slipped out "I have nightmares, I haven't slept well in a while". Harleens honest response startled her, she flushed, she shouldn't have told a patient that.

The Joker's eyes darkened in curiosity, a grin spreading slowly across his face " _Ahh_ , little Harlequin is telling the truth! How interesting. Why don't you tell ol' Mister J all about these nightmares?" He growled.

Harleen smiled slightly as she gathered her notes and the cards "That would be two questions Mister Joker, I'll see you next session" She replied as walked out of the room, The Jokers loud, chilling laughter echoing down the hall behind her.

Harleen didn't know what to think of her session with Joker, as she sat on her couch reading through her days notes. She had allowed herself a rare glass of wine, a sweet moscato, as a luxury for once while she thought of the day.

She supposed she shouldn't have told the Joker as much as she had about herself, but a small part of her couldn't help but replay The Joker's voice calling her Harley Quinn, it was inappropriate she reminded herself. That did not stop the small part of her that liked the nickname, she admitted as she downed the last of her glass of wine and headed to bed.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Author's Note: I was going to hold off on putting this chapter up for a little while (Do I post too quickly?) but since there was a lovely review I will post. I hope the flow and characterisation of this works for you all. As always please share your thoughts.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Seven.**_

Before Harleen knew it, a month had passed and she was set the task of writing a monthly report on her sessions with The Joker. Harleen thought over the four sessions she had completed with The Joker. She had grown to almost look forward to the squeeze of anxiety and the rush of adrenaline she felt every time she sat across from him.

The sessions had gone in a similar manner to her second session with Joker. He seemed to enjoy playing the card games, though the gleam of excitement that entered his eyes when he won, and she answered one of his seemingly random questions, made her question whether it was that game he was playing, or her.

Either way Harleen found him enthralling (scientifically, a part of her mind desperately added). In her previous session, he had asked her about her glasses; to which she had flushed terribly and answered truthfully. This was worth it though, as Joker had answered her question, when she had won the next game, about how old he was.

He had bared his teeth at her for a moment, before inhaling slowly and leaning forward, his eyes predatory "I think I'm thirty, not to worry little _Harlequin_ I like a, uh, younger woman" before cackling and demanding another round.

It had been a major break through, she thought, he had never told anyone his age before. Of course there was always the likelihood he was lying, but what interested Harleen more, was the 'I think' that had preceded his answer. Did he have trouble remembering his past? She asked herself, tapping her pen against her lip. It was a fascinating possibility that led to a whole to new series of questions.

Harleens thoughts swirled around The Joker (as a patient! The professional part of her brain screamed again) more often than not now. Thoughts of his therapy sessions and the questions she would ask, along with thoughts of her two other patients, occupied a large part of her brain; which she was thankful for in some way as it distracted her from darker thoughts.

The nightmares had not improved, Harleen had given up on taking sleeping pills, and now just accepted the nightmares as a part of her nights. Harleen pushed down thoughts of her nightmares, she couldn't think about the past, she was a collected, professional. Harleen adjusted her glasses, before finishing up her report and leaving her office to hand it directly to Doctor Arkham, who had insisted on receiving the reports himself, much to Doctor Leland's chagrin.

Doctor Arkham had been very impressed to see Harleens report, and even more so when she had said that she was in fact enjoying her sessions with Joker. Doctor Arkham had eyed Harleen seriously for a moment before warning her again to be careful with the Joker, and to not let her guard down.

The thought had crossed Harleens mind to remove Jokers straight jacket. She would keep his hands cuffed, along with his feet, but perhaps he would open up to her a little more if she showed some compromise. Harleen decided not to mention this to Doctor Arkham as she walked down the hall to her session with Waylon. A small smile crossed her face before she could stop it at the thought of Joker's reaction to her taking off his straight jacket.

Harleens session with Waylon was altogether uneventful, they had talked about some of Waylon's new favourite shows to watch (He had threatened to bite her hands off when she had tried to press about his parents so she had let that go) it wasn't till the end of the session that Waylon said something that had surprised Harleen.

"I heard you're the Joker's new shrink. Try not to die, the next doctor would take away the TV" He had rumbled, speaking more at once than he had ever before. Harleen raised an eyebrow "I am, I doubt he would hurt me Waylon. I'll be sure to note in your file in case of my death that they are to leave the TV with you" Harleen said, suppressing a smile.

With Waylon's words in mind, Harleen made her way down to her next appointment, with The Joker. Harleen felt excited at the prospect of showing Joker a little trust. She hoped he would be happy, Harleen frowned, that was not the right frame of mind for a Doctor she reminded herself.

Harleen quickly smoothed her outfit before nodding to Jim and making her way into the room. Harleen hesitated at the door for a moment before turning to the guards on either side of the door "I need you to take the straightjacket off Joker. He can be handcuffed instead today" The look of disbelief she received didn't surprise her.

"Are you sure Harleen? He could kill you" One of the guards, Jeremy, questioned. "I'm sure, it will be fine. I have my panic button" Harleen dismissed his concerns. The look the guards shared seemed to say that they didn't expect Harleen to come out of this unscathed, but they entered the room firmly locking the door behind them anyway.

A few minutes later they exited, indicating Harleen could enter. Harleens eyes locked on The Joker as soon as she entered. Joker was rolling his shoulders and neck in a manner that reminded Harleen on a snake, smoothly twisting with danger seeping from each careful movement.

Harleen stared for a moment before breaking from her trance and moving to sit down. "I thought you'd like to get out of that jacket for a while Mister Joker" She announced, setting her notes down on the table.

The joker laughed as he twisted his head around once more before looking forward at Harleen, a large smile pulling at his red lips. He groaned slightly and flicked his tongue over his silver teeth "What a _good_ girl Harley, Harley, Harley" He chanted, leaning over the table as far as his restraints would allow.

Harleen leaned in slightly without thinking, before shaking herself internally and leaning back into her chair. The Joker seemed to notice this and bared his teeth at her, chuckling. "How about you take these, uh, chains off next? Don't you want to help your Mister J?" He rasped. Harleen doubted she would ever get used to the way he talked, the lilting, rasping tone never failed to hold her attention and draw her in.

Stop, Harleen told herself, she couldn't think like this about her patient. She was here as a doctor. "Of course I want to help you Mister Joker, but you know I can't take off all your restraints yet" Harleen said "But I'll do what I can to convince Doctor Arkham" She amended quickly, seeing darkness shutter over Jokers eyes.

"Good girl, my _Harlequin_. I knew you wouldn't want to _disappoint_ me" He almost whispered to Harleen. Who found herself nodding absentmindedly. Harleen kicked herself mentally as she cleared her throat. "I was thinking we would do a word association game today, Mister Joker" Harleen said, avoiding the last sentence Joker had spoken.

Joker groaned loudly, flopping his head back as he dropped his cuffed hands on to the table top heavily. "I thought you were going to be _interesting_ today _Doc'_ " Joker said, rolling his head back around to stare at Harleen.

Harleens heart dropped at his disappointment, though it didn't surprise her. "If you cooperate with this, I'll bring you something nice next session, a coffee?" She offered hopefully.

Joker laughed loudly, dragging himself as far forward as he could, he hummed loudly before grinning at Harleen "You'll bring me a grape soda and we'll play a game _I_ choose on our next _date_ , and I'll be a good boy today sweetcheeks." He stated, there didn't seem to have been a question there but Harleen spoke her agreement anyway. She felt slightly nervous at both his mention of a game he decided upon, and a fluttering in her stomach at the mention of a date. Harleen, she scolded herself harshly, pull yourself together.

"Okay, I'm sure a smart guy like you knows how this works by now, Mister Joker. I'll say a word, you say the first word that comes to mind as quickly as you can" Harleen said, before pulling a list from her notes and uncapping her pen.

The test did not surprise Harleen, she felt again like Joker was playing with the test, giving violent, graphic, and even random responses. Still he had completed the test without interruption, a feat in and of itself with The Joker. Harleen hadn't expected much from the test, but it was needed for her next report on Joker, and she enjoyed seeing what was needed to get Joker to agree to her test.

Joker rolled his shoulders and neck once more, before grinning at Harleen, showing her all his teeth. Harleen had moved to collect her notes, but froze when she felt contact on her hand. Harleen stared at Jokers large, white hands as he ever so slightly brushed his fingers across the back of her hand. Harleen was stuck for a moment, marvelling at his tattooed hands. Various symbols were sprinkled across his hands, but what stood out most was the large, realistic grin, tattooed over the back of one of his hands.

Harleen inhaled slightly, as he pulled back his elegant, pianist's fingers, and laughed, flashing his silver teeth at her once more before Harleen gave a quick goodbye and walked quickly from the room. She was aware of the stares that followed her, as the guards marvelled at her attached limbs and calm demeanor.

Harleen stopped by the bathroom and put her hands on either side of the sink and leaned forward. She focused on taking strong, deep breaths as she stared at her hands. What was she doing? She questioned herself, she chanted her usual phrases in her mind; cool, calm, collected, professional. A voice unmistakably similar to the Joker's crept into her mind, encouraging her to relax, reminding of how cool and smooth his fingers had felt against her hand.

Harleen shook her head, she wouldn't think about this right now, she smoothed her ponytail, brushed off her spotless clothes, and carefully adjusted her glasses as she straightened herself in front of the mirror.

Harleen exited the bathroom, focusing on the notes she would write up from her days sessions, when she came across Doctor Leland. Doctor Leland was talking with two guards who stood either side of a burly man, shackled with his hands in front of his stomach.

Not wanting to interrupt Doctor Leland's conversation, Harleen made to walk past her silently. Harleen glanced up briefly as she passed, where her eyes made contact with the large man, a patient by the name of Ron Nealson she recognised. A moment after she broke eye contact with Nealson she felt a powerful force hit her side. Her ribs screamed in protest, a moment later a fist caught her face, once, twice, before she realised that Nealson had attacked her.

It took a moment for Harleen to come to her senses as she raised her knees to her chest and used her thankfully gymnastics strengthened legs to kick Nealson firmly in the chest, making him stumble backwards. The guards let out shouts as they hauled Nealson backwards down the hall.

Doctor Leland gasped as she crouched beside Harleen, she called for help as she pulled Harleen into a sitting position. A nurse from the medical unit, which was thankfully just down the hall, rushed towards Harleen. "What happened?! Are you okay Doctor Quinzel?" She questioned as she helped Harleen to stand.

Harleen ached, her ribs burned and her face felt thoroughly bruised. "Ugh, I'm okay, I think he caught my ribs pretty hard, and my face hurts" She said, trying to straighten, before gasping and bending back over slightly. "Come on Harleen, you need to go to the Medical Unit to get checked. Would you help support her other side, Nurse Rylan" Doctor Leland instructed.

Ten minutes later and Harleen was seated carefully on a bed in the medical ward. Doctor Leland had left quickly, wishing Harleen well before rushing off with the excuse of needing to file an incident report on her patient.

Harleen was excused a short while later, the doctor having given her some painkillers and two ice packets before finding the nurse from earlier, who was on her way out, and instructing her to take Harleen home.

Harleen was feeling slightly hazy from the pain medication, so the ride was spent in silence. Thanking Sonya Ryland for the help, Harleen made her way into her apartment. Heading straight to her bathroom, Harleen surveyed the damage.

Her left cheek and jaw was dark red and starting to bruise severely, her lip was split on the lower right side, and another bruise was forming along her right temple. Harleen sighed and gingerly peeled off her work shirt, thankful that she was wearing a button up shirt as her ribs protested even the limited movement.

Her ribs had already bruised darkly along her left side. Her ribs weren't broken thankfully, but the bruising was severe and ached sharply. Harleen sighed at her bruised face, as she brushed her fingers along her cheek. She supposed she should have expected to be injured at Arkham Asylum, but she hadn't thought it would be a random patient in the halls.

Harleen made herself a strong, sweet cup of tea, and took another painkiller. Harleen groaned as she sat herself down in bed, sipping her tea slowly, before lying back and setting her alarm for the next day. She had another session with Joker, as well as Crane, and she wouldn't let some bruises stop her from attending, she thought as she sipped her tea and sighed again.

It was funny, she thought, that everyone had been concerned with Joker injuring her in their session without his straight jacket, when the real threat was a random patient in the halls. Though this was unsurprising to her, Harleen trusted Joker not to kill her, and that was more than she could see about strangers, as it seemed.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Author's Note: Thank you so much to the readers, and especially the reviewers! I'm working hard on the transition from Harleen to Harley, because I want the change to be as realistic as possible, which has included me creating a strong background for Harleen (which will be revealed eventually) which would help explain the desire for an intelligent woman such as Harleen to move into the wild, crazy, dark, and passionate lifestyle she ends up in. Again, thank you for the reviews and for taking the time to read this story.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Eight.**_

Harleen awoke the next morning with a groan, before she left her bed she took the small bottle of painkillers the doctor from last night had given her, and swallowed two of the small pills dry.

Harleen lay still for a while, until she could feel the pain in her ribs and face receding, before rising and taking a long, hot shower. Harleen studied her reflection as she carefully dried off. The bruises on her face had turned purple overnight, a startling stain across her normally tanned skin. Her ribs too had darkened into a deep purple patch.

Harleen dressed carefully, selecting a soft pink button up shirt that hung gently over her bruised torso, pairing the shirt with a simple black skirt, and some flat boots to accommodate her aching side, Harleen thought over her make up.

Harleen decided against using any foundation, knowing the bruises were too dark to be covered fully, and instead just brushed on some mascara, and gingerly slid a moisturising lip balm over her split lip.

Harleen put on her glasses and added her small container of pills to her handbag, along with a grape soda, before eating a light breakfast of honey on toast. Harleen normally forgoed eating in the morning, but knew she needed to eat today with the pills she was taking, if she didn't want to become dazed in her appointments.

Harleen went to grab her car keys, before remembering her car had been left at the Asylum the day prior. She sighed as she called for a taxi instead. The taxi ride had been slightly uncomfortable, as the driver had stared at her with wide eyes through the mirror at every opportunity.

Checking that her car was where she had left it, Harleen made her way to her office to complete the paperwork she hadn't been able to do yesterday. Every four feet Harleen was stopped by a wide eyed colleague asking her what had happened. Harleen could see the surprise most of them had when they had learned that it was not, in fact, one of her patients that had attacked her, which she supposed was a fair enough response given the violent histories her patients had.

Harleen had finally made it to her office, and was halfway through the previous day's paperwork, when there was a knock on the door. Harleen glanced up as she called for whoever it was to enter. She felt anxious when she saw Doctors Leland and Arkham enter, taking the seats in front of her desk.

"Oh hello Doctor Arkham, Doctor Leland. Can I help you?" She questioned, setting down her pen. "Hello Harleen, I do hope you're feeling okay, those are some nasty bruises. I'm surprised you came in today, you didn't need to" Doctor Arkham said, his eyes studying Harleens face.

"Oh I'll be okay, I didn't want to miss my sessions today, and I have all the paperwork from yesterday to do… No I'll be fine. Thank you for the concern though." Harleen said, hoping they wouldn't push the subject.

There was moment of silence before Doctor Leland coughed slightly "Nealson has been moved to the high risk unit, so there shouldn't be any more incidents like yesterday. I have some forms for you to sign about the incident and then I've got a meeting" Doctor Leland said briskly, handing a few forms to Harleen and waiting for her to sign them, before exiting with a quick goodbye.

Doctor Arkham sighed and stood slowly "If you do need time off, please do take it. Oh and do take it easy today in your sessions. Goodbye Harleen" He said, shaking her hand quickly and exiting from the office.

Harleen glanced at the clock quickly before taking her painkillers to dull the ache in her ribs and face and finishing her paperwork. She had a session with both Crane and Waylon before lunch, and a session with Joker in the afternoon, it was going to be a busy day.

Crane had not given any outward reaction to Harleens injured form at first, other than a slight furrowing of his brows. He had asked Harleen the details of what had happened and had listened carefully, not saying a word. He had answered most of Harleens questions about the bullying he received as a child without insulting her. As Harleen had said goodbye and stood to leave, he had told her to be careful; claiming that she was only half as much of an idiot as the rest of the doctors, and that he did not want to deal with the morons.

Harleens next appointment with Waylon had been about the same as it usually was, he had, however, made a rumbling sound and bared his teeth a little more than usual when he saw her. Harleen had explained briefly what had happened, to which Waylon made no comment. Their session from there had gone as it usually had, although Waylon had made a brief, unprompted comment about his favourite show, which was unusual.

Harleen felt good about her sessions, her patients had given better reactions than she had thought they would, this lead her to think about Joker. She couldn't guess what his reaction would be, and it made her anxious to think about. She briefly considered keeping his straight jacket on, just in case, but quickly dismissed the idea. She trusted him enough, she decided.

Harleen took her usual seat in the staff break room and began eating her chicken and salad sandwich. She ignored the other people in the room, knowing they would be whispering about her, when a man she hadn't met before sat down beside her.

"Hi, I'm Max Killian, I'm a doctor here, I don't think we've met. You're Harleen Quinzel, right? I had heard you were attacked, I hope you're okay" He said. Max was a tall man who appeared to be in his thirties, he had thick black hair, and deep brown eyes. Harleen smiled a little apprehensively at the handsome man. "Hi, yes, you can just call me Harleen. I'm fine, just bruised" Harleen said, picking at her sandwich.

"Well I just wanted to introduce myself, Harleen, I'm glad to hear you're okay. Maybe I'll see you around?" He asked as he stood. "Oh, uh yeah, maybe. It was nice to meet you Max" Harleen said, a little surprised at the conversation. Harleen glanced at wall clock behind her before discarding her lunch and making her way to her session with Joker.

Harleen felt more anxious than she usually did before their sessions as she smoothed her clothes, and adjusted her glasses. She smiled slightly at the guards who stood outside the Jokers session room, before asking that they take his straight jacket off again. This caused more raised eyebrows, as they took in her bruised face, but they did as she asked and motioned her into the room without a word.

Harleen could feel the tense silence like a fog enveloping the room, Joker had paused in rolling his neck and instead looked straight ahead at Harleen. His normally bright eyes had darkened significantly, and his face was void of his usual toothy smile. He cocked his head to the side slightly as Harleen took her seat in front of him, a grin spread across his face, his silver teeth glinting in the light, though his face remained looking icy and dark.

"Hello Mister Joker. I guess it's pretty noticeable, huh?" She asked lightly, referring to her bruised faced and swallowing slightly at his unwavering gaze.

"Now _what_ has, uh, happened to my little Harlequin?" He asked, his tongue flashed over his teeth as he leaned forward. Harleen held her breath as he raised his cuffed hands from the table and ran a finger along the side of her face, he paused in his movement and pressed down firmly on her bruised jaw, laughing as she exhaled sharply.

He pulled back his hands as Harleen leant back in her seat and adjusted her glasses as she explained what had happened. "I'm okay though, Nealson has been moved into the high security unit now." She finished, watching for any changes in the Joker's face.

He growled slightly before laughing "He's moved to Mister J's, uh, neck of the woods _hmm?_ I'll be sure to tell him you say hello _Harley, Harley, Harley_ ". Harleen wasn't sure what to make of his words, but brushed them aside. She glanced at the door quickly before reaching into the small bag she had brought with her that normally only held her notes and pen.

"I brought you the soda, Mister Joker" Harleen said, as she opened the plastic bottle of grape soda (Harleen had been sure to get a plastic bottle, instead of glass or a can) and slid it across the table to Joker. He laughed, his eyes sparkling, as he took long swig of the drink and moaned. Harleens heart thudded heavily at the sound, she was pleased he liked it, though she remembered her other side of the promise to play a game of Jokers choosing and felt a rush of anxious adrenaline.

" _Mmm,_ good, good, good girl, Harley" He rasped, leaning forward. Harleen felt a rush at the nickname, though she scolded herself internally; cool, calm, collected, professional. "You said you would choose the game today, Mister Joker. What game will it be? I brought cards with me" Harleen said, keeping her voice steady.

Joker cackled, rolling his neck, and flashed his teeth at her. "Oh there are _plenty_ of games we'll play _Harley;_ But today, you're going to answer my questions, I'll, uh, I'll even let you ask one more of your own" Joker said, his voice low and gravelly. Harleen considered this, she knew she shouldn't allow her patient to be the one to question her, but she would get to ask another question, and she had already agreed to it in their last session.

"Okay Mister Joker, you can ask three questions" Harleen agreed, her pulse increasing at her agreement.

Joker laughed and hummed exaggeratedly "Now little _Harlequin,_ before mean ol' Nealson, has, uh, anyone else ever tried to beat your pretty little face in?" He asked, leaning in towards Harleen as he had another swig of his soda with a moan.

Harleen inhaled shakily, not a surprising question she supposed "Uh no, he was not the first" She said, adjusting her glasses on her face. Joker cackled loudly, his eyes chilling.

"Mmm how _interesting_ , my little Harley has been around some _bad_ boys. Now, uh, tell Mister J about your _family_ " He said, stretching his body in his chair.

Harleen felt her blood turn to ice at Joker's words, she wrung her hands together as she considered what to say, should she tell him the truth? She shouldn't talk to a patient about this, she shouldn't talk to anyone about this, she panicked. Harleen took a deep breath, she had said she would answer his questions.

"My father spent a lot of time in prison, my mother… my mother was unfaithful while he was gone, he found out and left. He was killed while trying to rob a store. My mother died of an overdose a few years later. I have an older brother, we don't speak" Harleen couldn't believe she had told him that much, she didn't even acknowledge the events of her earlier life in her own mind. What was it about this infamous criminal that made her open up as much as she had?

The Joker laughed loudly, slamming his hands down on the table and leaning in. His shark-toothed smile was back in place as he reached up to tap the side of Harleens head gently, making her twitch. "The doctor is just as _messed_ up as the rest of us. You're not telling Mister J everything are you, Harley? Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me" His voice trailed off into a hiss before he rasped "Why don't you and _big brother_ speak _sugar_?" A bitter amusement gleamed in his eyes as he spoke.

Harleen couldn't breathe, Joker seemed to pull the questions she didn't want to answer out of her mind. "He blames me for our parents separating, and dying" Harleen all but whispered, locking her eyes on to Jokers. Why had she agreed to answer his questions, and why did the ever present knot of hurt in her chest seem to ease slightly at this admission? She shook the questions out of her head and focused on Joker.

Joker was grinning at her as he raised his cuffed hands to smooth back his vibrantly green hair (Why was it still green, she wondered, was it natural? She had assumed it was dyed) before humming "And why oh why is that _Doc_ '?" he questioned.

"You already used your three questions Mister Joker, it's my turn" She said, shifting her glasses on her face again. Harleens heart was still pounding from The Jokers questions, as she glanced down at her notes, considering what to ask. A small note caught her eye and she looked up into Joker's eyes "Do you remember all of your past?" She asked finally.

Joker laughed chillingly " _Mmm_ good question, little Harlequin" He leaned forward once again, he lifted his tattooed hand over his mouth so that the fake grin covered his own, before he dropped his hands "I remember _some_ of it, before I had my _eyes_ opened to just how, uh, _beautiful_ chaos is" He said, his voice almost entrancing Harleen as always.

She was surprised he had answered, and with what seemed like a truthful answer at that. Harleen carefully made her notes before looking back at Joker. She gathered her notes, aware of his watchful gaze, and quietly place the empty soda bottle into her bag. Harleen made to stand up, saying goodbye to the Joker, when once again his cool hand ran over her own warm hand.

"Make, uh, make sure no one else tries to beat your sweet face in little _Harlequin._ Your Daddy J doesn't like anyone playing with his toys" He growled, before dropping his head back into loud laughter. Harleen stared at him for a moment, her breath caught in her throat as she replayed his words. Harleen said goodbye and walked from the room, saying a very brief goodbye to the guards, as she walked as quickly as her ribs would allow back to her office.

Harleen tried to focus on her careful notes, as she sat behind her desk, but her session with The Joker was running through her mind. He had enthralled her as always, and she didn't understand why her heart had ached a little less when she had admitted some of her past to him. A fainter voice than usual told her to pull herself together; cool, calm, collected, professional, the faint voice said.

Harleen tried to push all the thoughts into the back of her mind as she breathed deeply, feeling the sharp ache of pain returning to her her face and ribs. Harleen ignored her medication this time however, finding it easier to concentrate on her notes with the slight pain. What on Earth was happening to her? she wondered, as she returned to her notes.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Author's Note: I'm sorry this is such a short chapter! I just don't like writing chapters with large time skips in them, and I didn't see a way I could make this chapter and the next into one, without including one. Things are going to start moving quite a bit quicker from the next chapter onwards (and there will be a LOT of Joker to make up for this) so please excuse the pace if it bothers you. Reviews are so welcomed, good or bad, every review motivates me to write even quicker.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Nine.**_

Harleen had started the next day with her usual routine, she had only taken half the prescribed amount of painkillers and had finished up the paperwork she had been meaning to do. The day, however had taken a turn when she received an unexpected visit from Doctor Arkham.

Doctor Arkham looked very grim as he took a seat in front of Harleen. Harleen felt slightly nauseous with anxiety at the sight of him, her mind raced with ideas of why he was visiting her looking so serious. Harleen cleared her throat "Is everything okay, Doctor Arkham?" she finally asked.

Doctor Arkham steepled his fingers under his chin and leaned backwards in his seat "This morning Joker killed another inmate" He said, Harleens stomach dropped "He beat Nealsons head in. The Joker killing is not new or unexpected by any means, but the fact that he killed the man that attacked you, is a very unusual event" He continued.

Harleen felt like she was in shock; Joker had killed Nealson? It couldn't be a coincidence that this happened the day after he found out about the man attacking her. Her mind was racing as she exhaled, trying to find words "Oh God, I didn't get the impression he would act this way yesterday. I… I think it might have been an act of dominance over Nealson? I mean Joker is used to being the most feared man, the man who everyone is always talking about. I would guess that he was unhappy about the ruckus surrounding Nealson".

Harleen knew she wasn't telling the truth, she strongly suspected that The Joker had murdered Nealson because he had attacked her. What Harleen couldn't figure out was why. What was it he had said yesterday? She asked herself; 'Daddy J doesn't like anyone playing with his toys'. Her heart picked up speed at the memory, had Joker been angry about the man attacking her? She hadn't thought he would have cared.

"Hmm, I suppose so. The Joker is an unpredictable man, he prides himself on it. He very well could have killed Nealson just to see the mess that would follow" Doctor Arkham said. "He's in solitary confinement now, so your sessions with him will be suspended for a week" He added as he stood to leave, signalling the end of the conversation. He said a quick goodbye and exited Harleens office.

Harleens immediate reaction was disappointment, which surprised her, because she didn't feel disappointed that Joker had murdered Nealson (She didn't feel badly about his death in general, she admitted to herself), she felt disappointed about her sessions with Joker being put off for a week.

Harleen was ashamed of her disappointment, Joker had murdered a man, of course he was in solitary confinement she reasoned with herself. Although he had killed the man who had attacked her, it was… protective (possessive!, insane! another part of her corrected harshly). Harleen felt anxious, confused, disappointed, and a whole host of other emotions she couldn't name.

It crossed Harleens mind to go down to solitary confinement and ask Joker why he had done it (and to check that he was okay came a whisper in her mind), but she knew the security was too tight for her to get there unnoticed, and her visiting him now would raise more than a few eyebrows. Harleen dropped her head into her hands and pressed her eyes closed so tightly she could see stars.

Harleen tried to collect herself as she looked through her small appointment book. She changed the Jokers appointments to the same day he got out of solitary confinement, before checking what she had scheduled for the day, as all her plans for the day had seeped from her mind.

She only had a session with Crane today, just a simple session to discuss how he felt his therapy had been progressing. Harleen had an hour before her appointment, and she decided that after her appointment she would head home early. Her bruises ached, her painkillers were wearing off, and her head was spinning. If there was ever a day to leave early and have a glass of wine in bed, this was it.

Harleen made her way to the staff break room to get a much needed cup of coffee. Harleen was so caught up in her thoughts, that it wasn't until she was halfway through adding a caramel shot to her cup of terrible coffee when she noticed the whispers.

A small group of people were sat around a peeling table in the back of the staff room, sending Harleen sideways glances and murmuring to each other. The group abruptly looked away when they noticed Harleens eyes on them. Harleen set herself on the further side of the room to sip at her coffee.

Just as she was considering what she would say to The Joker in their next session, how she would ask Joker about why he had killed Nealson, when a part of her, a confused, flustered part, felt flattered that Joker had killed a man for hitting her. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden scraping sound of the chair across from her being pulled out and the presence of Max.

Harleen looked up in surprise at the appearance of her fellow doctor, just as he spoke "Hi Harleen, I heard about Nealson, I hope you're okay. It seems to have been a crazy week for you". Harleen sighed "Hi Max, I'm fine" Harleen said shortly, she didn't want to discuss Joker with anyone at the moment, her thoughts were too haphazard for that.

"Oh, that's good. Well I just thought I'd check before my meeting, we've all heard how the Joker can be" Max persisted. Harleen couldn't hold back another small sigh "Well I can't discuss my patients, you know that. Actually I have some paperwork I need to finish, so I was just on my way out. Goodbye Max" Harleen said, picking up her coffee and standing. Something in Max's eyes unsettled her as he smiled cheerily and said goodbye. Harleen shook her head, she had bigger concerns than a nosey doctor.

Harleen spent the rest of her free time sitting at her desk, massaging a painful headache away from her temples and finishing her coffee in peace. She was grateful when the time came for Cranes therapy, it occurred to her as strange that she looked forward more to seeing her patients, than she did her colleagues.

Harleen smoothed back her hair and adjusted her clothing as she greeted Crane and pulled her notes out, after a brief and thoroughly unhelpful conversation with Crane on his thoughts about receiving therapy Harleen got to the last question she needed to ask "The only other thing we really need to discuss today is how you think therapy is going over all, Doctor Crane" Harleen said, glancing at his impassive face.

"Therapy sessions are hardly of any use when held with another doctor" Crane dismissed. "Though I am unopposed to the halfway interesting conversation every so often" He added. "Now tell me, Doctor Quinzel, do your patients _scare_ you?" He asked.

Harleen considered his abrupt question for a moment "No, I'm not afraid of my patients" She said finally, as she finished writing the notes on their session so far.

Crane hummed slightly "Curious indeed. Even though your patients have killed?" He asked. Harleen could tell from his tone that he knew what had happened with Joker and Nealson. She sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day as she gathered her notes. "I'm not afraid of my patients" She repeated "I haven't been given a reason to be so far" She concluded, locking eyes with Crane who studied her with the scientific curiosity she had come to connect with his expression when he spoke of his own experiments on fear. A quick goodbye and Harleen was headed for her car.

Usually Harleen would have written her notes up before leaving for the day, but all she wanted currently was to get home to have a glass of wine in bed and puzzle over the day's events. With music playing quietly on the radio, Harleen stopped to buy a bottle of cheap wine, and for reasons she couldn't seem to figure out; she found herself placing a pack of grape soda cans away in her fridge.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Author's Note: The reviews mean the world to me, so thank you, they are what inspires me to keep going with this story. I'm not so sure how the pace of this chapter feels, too slow, too fast? And please, please let me know if the characters are believable in this, I have questioned this chapter a lot so please give feedback.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Ten.**_

The weekend dragged for Harleen without her usual outlet of gymnastics, due to her healing bruises. Harleen instead filled her time with obscure foreign films that required all of her attention to follow. By the time Harleen was back at work, she couldn't have been more relieved.

Work kept Harleen busy, she took on the task of completing entrance evaluations, which the doctors normally went out of their way to avoid, due to the rather volatile nature of patients at their first admission. Harleen had enjoyed the challenge, however, as her sessions with Crane and Waylon had been rather uneventful.

Harleens sessions with Crane had gone as the usually had, which ended up usually as more of a discussion between fellow doctors than a therapy session; though he did seem to open up more to Harleen when the discussions carried on this way.

Waylon's sessions were hard to judge, though Harleen had lasted longer than any other doctor before with all her limbs intact so she classed this as successful. Waylon wasn't one for talking, even less so about how he was feeling, so Harleen used their sessions as more of an opportunity to introduce him to various aspects of culture and society that he hadn't been involved in; which was usually successful through the TV shows. Harleen had progressed to sending the armed guard out of the room when she held Waylon's sessions, which was not achieved without much disagreement from Doctor Leland.

The day that Joker was released from solitary confinement Harleens heart did not stop racing. She felt like a child on their first day of school; a frazzled mess of nerves and excitement. Harleen had taken to sipping tea through the day in an effort to calm herself. She stopped quickly to put away her cup on her way down to her first session of the day, with Crane.

Harleen greeted Crane as usual, after a short greeting in reply, Crane raised an eyebrow at Harleen "You are dressed nicely today, Doctor Quinzel. What is the occasion?" He asked plainly.

Harleen fought back a flush as she looked down at herself; she had dressed in purple shirt slightly brighter than anything she usually dared to wear, along with fitting black pants, and a nice pair of black heels. She had even added a little eyeliner and nude lipstick to her routine this morning. She supposed she was dressed up more than she usually allowed herself to be; but she excused it in her mind as finally being able to now that her bruises had healed enough.

She gave Crane the same flimsy excuse she had used on herself, before pushing forward and asking Crane how he felt about the victims of his experiments with fear "There is not an exact science to fear, to progress there must be sacrifice. As the saying goes, you can not make an omelette without cracking a few eggs" He said, sounding as though he was discussing the weather.

Harleen considered his words "But they didn't volunteer to make a sacrifice, did they?" Harleen replied. Crane looked rather bored by her comment "They did not understand the progress that is needed" He said, leaning forward slightly "Tell me, do you know a single one of their names? No? Because they are meaningless faces in a crowd. The biggest impact they made was their deaths" His voice never changed tone as he spoke.

Harleen made careful notes on his words and thought what he had said, if Crane had made some significant progress for humanity with his work, would the lives of those who had died been more meaningful or less? Certainly everyone died; was the loss of thirty years significant when the time was given over to a bigger cause? Harleen frowned and kicked herself internally; all life was precious, a voice inside her said, not sounding all that persistent.

"It's your views that I'm interested in here, Doctor Crane, not my own" She said, not being able to bring herself into voicing her thoughts. The rest of the session had passed blandly, with their session turning to the topic of classes they had taken in their respective high schools.

Harleens thoughts were racing once again as she made herself another cup of tea before she was finally able to go down to see Joker for their session. Sipping at her peppermint tea Harleen attempted to collect her thoughts. An increasingly growing part of her had missed her sessions with the Joker, his charismatic presence was entrancing she admitted to herself. No, she half-heartedly argued with herself, she was a _doctor_. Cool, calm, collected, professional she attempted to chant to herself, almost desperately.

Harleen sighed aloud, something she seemed to be doing a lot of, and attempted to push down the flood of emotions she felt at any mention of the Joker. Harleen struggled to lock away most of her emotions however, something which had never before been an issue, most difficult to ignore at the moment being the deep concern she felt about how he had fared in solitary confinement

Quickly adjusting her clothes and glasses, and smoothing pack the plait she had weaved her hair into, Harleen abandoned her tea and decided to make her way to the Joker's session a few minutes early.

With a quick hello to the guards, Harleen made her usual request to have the Joker removed from his straight jacket. The guards sent each other uncomfortable glances "Are you sure? I mean he did just get out of the hole for killing a man" One guard asked hesitantly.

"He won't kill me, let him out of the jacket" Harleens reply came across sharper than she had intended it to, though it seemed to fend off any further questions from either of the guards. With a shaky breath, Harleen entered the room. Joker looked okay, was her first thought, as a small rush of relief ran through her.

Harleen couldn't see any visible signs of bruising on his ghostly skin, though his knuckles did appear grazed and bruised. His artfully structured face was unblemished, though faint bags under his eyes had appeared, and his hair was as slick as ever.

Harleen sat down in silence, studying The Joker as intensely as he was her, an intense spark in his eyes. "Not going to say _hello_ to Mister J? You look particularly _tempting_ today " He mocked, his usual wide grin appearing on his face.

"Hello Mister Joker" Harleen replied ignoring the small please feeling she had at Jokers compliment. She paused for a moment before continuing "You killed Nealson" She stated eventually, clasping her hands together. Joker laughed "Were you _upset_ that I bashed his head in, _Harley, Harley, Harley?_ You should thank your Daddy J" Joker said as he leaned forward in his seat, straining against his restraints slightly.

Harleens voice caught in her throat, she shouldn't thank him for killing the man, she knew that, so why did such a large part of her yearn to thank him anyway "I.. I don't understand why you killed him" Harleen said " I wasn't upset that you did though" She added, almost in a whisper.

Joker gave a loud exaggerated laugh, twisting his head around with closed eyes before snapping his gaze forward to Harleen "I told you _Harlequin_ , I don't like anyone, uh, touching my things" He rasped.

Harleen held her breath, she knew the appropriate response was 'I am not yours, I am a doctor' but could not get the words out. Before she could respond Joker spoke again "Mmm of course you didn't mind Nealson's brains being scattered around the floor. Because I can see underneath that, uh, _tight_ little case, you want to be _wild._ See underneath you're just as _crazy_ as I am" He growled " _Daddy's little monster"_ he added in a mocking whisper, before letting one of his chilling laughs echo around the room.

Harleen hesitated, she bowed her head as his words seeped into her mind. She needed to keep herself together. Was she wild? Deep down under the polished surface she had created for herself, among all the broken pieces? "I'm your doctor, I can't be wild" She whispered, sounding childish even to herself.

The joker laughed wildly leaning across the table as well as he could and running one of his cuffed hands along her face, his thumb nail scratching across her lip as it passed "I'm going to show you just how _crazy_ you are Harlequin" He said pulling his hand back and baring his silver teeth at her in a mad smile.

Harleen exhaled shakily, every intention she had of keeping her professional, collected frame of mind in tact flew out the door as soon as she sat across from Joker. She sighed once before reaching into her bag and pulling out a deck of cards, and can of grape soda. Harleen avoided Joker's eyes as she opened the soda and slid it across the table to him "I thought we could just play a card game today, if you tell me how solitary confinement was" Harleen said eventually, looking up from the shuffled cards and into Jokers eyes.

The Joker cackled before growling lowly "Being good to Mister J, _sweetcheeks?"_ He asked, taking a long drink of his soda and groaning "It's never _boring_ in my, uh, mind, even down there. Were you worried about ol' Mister J in the hole?" He sung mockingly. Harleen flushed, feeling like a schoolgirl, causing the Joker to laugh once more.

The rest of the session was spent playing whatever card game came to Joker's mind, and listening to Jokers tales of his past crimes (after a little prompting from Harleen), which enthralled Harleen more than she could admit, even to herself. Harleen glanced at the clock and sat straight in her chair "The sessions run over by ten minutes. I'll set another one for tomorrow, Mister Joker" Harleen said, taking the empty can and discarding it in her bag.

As Harleen reached across the table to gather the cards, she brushed the side of her hand along Jokers wrist, earning a dark smile and another loud laugh "Going to let me out of my _chains_ next time?" he growled. Harleen put the cards away in her bag "I… I'll see what I can do" she answered finally, hearing the harsh voice in her mind saying she was foolish for entertaining the idea.

She said a quick goodbye as she exited the room, but stopped in the hall to talk to Doctor Ingles, who was headed in the opposite direction. As she was explaining the progress she had made with Crane, The Joker exited the therapy room. He was back in his straight jacket, with the guards holding tightly to his arms. Harleens intensive eye contact with him was broken when one of the guards, Logan she thought, turned to her with a grin "Hey doc' didn't realise you were still here. You know I was thinking, maybe I could take you for a drink some time?" He asked

Harleen raised her eyebrows in shock, what about this seemed like a good time to ask her out? she wondered. Harleen glanced at Joker, a dark expression had taken over his face, though his lips were pulled into a grin that held no humour. "Trying to, uh, _screw_ my little _doctor_?" The Joker growled, a cruel laugh echoing in the hall. Harleen was saved from having to answer by Logan flushing and pulling the Joker down the hall harshly muttering for him to 'shut his mouth', seemingly forgetting that Harleen hadn't answered.

Harleens heart was pounding in her chest as she made an excuse of paperwork to Doctor Ingles and hurried off. She didn't know what to think, why had she been so anxious about what Joker would think when the guard had asked her out? Harleen shook her head as she made her way into her office with the intention of finishing her paperwork, she didn't know what it was about Joker that struck a chord with her, she found herself thinking of him less and less like the scientific curiosity that had led her to Arkham Asylum originally, and more like an entrancing man who she couldn't get out of her head.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Author's Note: There are pieces of a larger quote by the Joker in this chapter; I just really love the quote and wanted to add a piece in. Another big thank you to the reviewers, feedback means everything to me. I went outside my usual pace for this chapter, so please tell me if it seems too much or too fast (or slow) because I'm really trying to pace this story to show how Harleen already had the makings of being like Joker deep down in a reasonable way.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Eleven.**_

Harleen could feel the carefully formed professional shell she had created over the year cracking slowly with every session with The Joker. She had just finished writing up her notes of yet another session with the man, and was reading over her notes carefully.

He had talked to Harleen about Batman in their last session, it was enlightening to hear him talk about his biggest nemesis. When Harleen had asked if Joker wanted Batman dead, he had said something that surprised Harleen "Oh no, he's just too much fun to play with. You see Bats and I will go around forever" He had said, leaning forward "He _needs_ my chaos so that he can pretend he's morally superior. Insanity is like gravity, all it takes is a little… _push_ " He had ended, laughing loudly.

Harleen had been thinking about Joker and Batman's relationship ever since, was it true? Without Joker where would Batman be? In a sense Batman did need Joker, perhaps the man underneath the suit didn't, but Batman did. Joker caused chaos regardless of Batman, he ran a crime empire whether Batman was around or not; though Harleen knew that the Joker was obsessed with the vigilante in many ways, she wasn't sure how his relationship with Batman had begun, but knew from how he spoke about Batman that it was vital in Jokers formation.

Harleen collected her notes and moved to file them neatly. She had mentioned removing Jokers restraints, on his arms at the least, to Doctor Arkham and Doctor Leland; but had been met by a resounding 'no'. They didn't understand, she thought, making her way to the staff break room for coffee before she made her way home. She knew that Joker wouldn't kill her, not yet, if ever.

She shouldn't disregard her superiors wishes on the matter, she chided herself. The Joker was a maniac, it was a reasonable fear to think he would kill her. The logic did not deter the strong desire to free Joker from his restraints, if not just to to test how he would react (and to recieve a grin with a 'good girl little Harlequin' that had her heart racing, a voice whispered in her mind). It wouldn't be too hard if she could convince the guards somehow, she thought.

Maybe she could convince the guards that she was given permission, she knew that they didn't usually check up on whether she had permission to do these things. Harleen frowned, she shouldn't be considering this, it was dangerous. Though that thought did not deter her, even the thought of how much trouble she could get into didn't deter her. She was a doctor, she knew her patient, she was an intelligent enough woman to understand what she was doing.

Thoughts of whether or not to unchain Joker continued to run through her mind through the night. Harleen didn't know what she would do and it didn't sit well with her, she was not used to being indecisive about anything; she normally had her life planned down to what colour socks she would wear for the week.

Without much thought on the matter, Harleen allowed herself to dress a little nicer than she usually did; slipping on a soft pink shirt, a sleek black skirt, nice boots with a small buckle, and finishing off her usual light make up with a lipstick matching her shirt. Harleen secretly adored dressing up, though she restricted her wardrobe and makeup harshly to portray a more professional image, so she revelled in the chance to add a little more fun into her fashion choices.

Harleen glanced at the phone and considered calling Barry, though quickly brushed the idea aside, she knew he would hang up on her. Sighing she made her way to work, stopping to get a good coffee, rather than suffering through the dish water available in the staff break room.

Finally in her office, Harleens thoughts drifted back to whether she would take the restraints off of Joker for their session. She was still lost in her thoughts about the matter when she made her way down to the therapy room. Harleen took her time greeting the guards; she noticed that Logan was on rotation today and in a split second decision turned to him "Logan, today I need Joker out of his restraints" She said, proud that her voice was confident.

He looked startled "Oh... I'm not sure that we can do that Harleen, taking him out of the straight jacket is enough of a risk" He said reluctantly. Harleen leant forward slightly, watching as Logan's eyes dropped briefly to her chest briefly.

"I can handle it Logan, I'll keep my panic button in my hand" She said, not liking what she was doing, it was unprofessional. "Please" She added, dropping her voice slightly.

Logan glanced around, and when he only received shrugs from the other guards present he sighed "Okay, but be careful with the monster" He said finally. Harleen frowned slightly at his use of the word monster, but forced a smile as he turned into the room, gun raised.

Harleens face felt hot, why on earth had she done this? She had always been adamant about not using her appearance to get what she wanted, and here she was doing just that to get a villain out of his restraints, something she was not supposed to be doing in the first place.

She thought her heart was going to beat out of her chest as she walked into the room; Joker was taller than she had realised, now that he was standing in the center of the room, twisting his body.

He looked at her with a grin, his tongue flicking over his teeth "What a good, good girl little _Harlequin._ Are you _afraid_ to be alone with big bad ol' J? He asked, stepping towards Harleen slightly, his face holding a dark grin.

Harleen swallowed and sat down at her usual seat, keeping her eyes on Joker, who had splayed himself elegantly across his usual chair. "I'm not scared. I probably shouldn't have had the restraints taken off though Mister Joker, I could get into trouble for it" Harleen replied, glancing up into Jokers glinting eyes.

"You have to learn to, uh, let _loose_ babydoll" Joker growled. Harleen tried to pull herself together slightly, just because Joker was out of restraints, did not mean he could run the session. "Since I did you a favour by getting the restraints off; you need to answer some questions" Harleen said "Please" She added hastily, and kicked herself for it afterwards; doctors shouldn't say please.

Joker hummed as he tilted his side to side with closed eyes, before snapping them open and baring his teeth at her. "You can ask me three questions once you tell me what, uh, what _really_ happened with your _family"_ He said finally, laughing loudly.

Harleen felt sick, she hadn't told anyone the full story of this before.

"If you tell me how you got to be who you are, I'll tell you about my family" Harleen bargained. Joker got a strange glint in his eyes, his smile grew slowly "Playing games with me is dangerous _Harley, Harley, Harley_. I always win" He responded. Harleen took this as an agreement, and her heart started racing "This... this session will be kept off the records, all of it" Harleen added. The last thing she wanted was for word to get around about her past, and she had no desire to sacrifice her progress with Joker by spreading the things he told her around.

Harleen took a deep breath, staring down at her hands she began to recount the sob story that was her childhood. "My father was a petty criminal when my big brother and I were young; so he spent a lot of time in prison. When he was in prison for his longest stint, my mother started bringing boyfriends home. One of my mothers boyfriends was a very bad man; he started doing drugs and partying with her. Then he started getting inappropriate with me" Harleen paused, her heart was in her stomach and it was getting hard to breathe.

Joker had not taken his eyes off her. "He touched me. I didn't know exactly what was going on, but I knew I didn't like it. When my father got out of prison, my mother kept the affair going on in secret, eventually it got to be too much; so I told my father everything" Harleen said, recalling the indescribable look of anger on his face.

"My father lost it, he screamed at my mother, calling her a whore and asking her how she had not known what the man had done to me. He left that night and never contacted my brother or I again, we found out two months later that he'd been killed while robbing a liquor store. My mother lost it as well when he left, she got heavily into heroin, and died when I was fifteen of an overdose" Harleen finished in a monotone; her childhood had been awful; her mother and father had been neglectful and selfish, but they had loved Harleen in their own ways.

Joker hummed, leaning across the table "See? My _H_ _arlequin_ is just as screwed up as everyone else in here. Tell me, is that why big brother doesn't talk to you? He thinks it's all your fault?" Joker questioned mockingly. Harleen inhaled sharply, and nodded without speaking. Her brother had been old enough to move out on his own when their mother had died, Harleen had been stuck in a foster home until she had left for University, he blamed her entirely.

"I shouldn't have told you that, I'm your doctor, we're only supposed to talk about you" Harleen said eventually. Joker laughed loudly "You're not a _good_ girl, Harley. You're just covering up your _wild_ side" he leaned forward across the table, grasping Harleens jaw with his large hand "You want to be just like me deep down, that's why you're so _persistent_ in seeing me" He rasped, flashing his silver teeth at her in a large grin.

Harleen turned her head slightly, causing Joker's hand to drop to the table as he once again arranged himself elegantly across his chair. He couldn't be right she thought, almost desperately, she was cool, calm, collected, professional, she couldn't let herself let go of that, no matter how much the idea appealed to some hidden part of her that she had buried under guilt, grades, and professionalism. "It's your turn to tell me how you came to be the Joker" Harleen said instead.

Joker growled, rolling his eyes "I find the past such a worrying, anxious place. 'The past tense', I suppose you'd call it" Joker said, stopping to chuckle darkly "Memories can be vile, repulsive little brutes. Like children I suppose. I think I was in a chemical plant where I worked, breaking in with my, uh, little gang of Red Hoods, when none other than _Batman_ appears" Joker bared his teeth and laughed again "And then he punches me right over the edge of a catwalk, into one of the vats of chemicals. He leaves, and I _emerge_ " He finishes, yet another laugh echoing around the room as Joker twists his hands on either side of himself "So really it's all thanks to _Batsy_ that I'm here" he adds.

Harleen didn't know what to say, she was beyond shocked that he had actually told her what seemed like a mostly true story. He had obviously left out huge parts of his story, whether it was because he didn't remember or he just didn't want to tell her, she didn't know. Had Batman really created The Joker? She wondered. It would explain the obsession Joker had with the man. Harleen puzzled over this new information in silence for a minute, this new information was everything she had wanted, and yet her desire to figure him out, to be around him, had not diminished.

"Thank you for telling me that" Harleen said eventually. Glancing at the time absentmindedly she was surprised to find they had run out of time, it had felt like they'd only begun talking minutes ago. "Our time is up for today Mister Joker" Harleen added. Unlike most other days, Harleen waited until the guards had come back in and had Joker back in his restraints before she left the room.

Following the guards escorting Joker out of the room, Harleen politely brushed off Logan's question on taking her out for a drink with a vague excuse of having a lot of paperwork. Joker had said nothing this time though he had cackled chillingly as he was led away from Harleen.

Harleens mind did not stop racing as she lay down in bed that night. She didn't know why she had shared so much with Joker, she didn't know why he had so uncharacteristically shared a small part of his history with her in return, but it made her equal parts thrilled and anxious. The voice that told her she was being ridiculous, that she was slipping slowly from the careful, restrictive person she had worked so hard to create, but that voice was getting easier and easier to ignore; as she lay in her bed, thinking of the Joker and his words today.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Author's Note: Okay this chapter is a big step forward, the time in the Asylum will probably be a couple more chapters, depending on how the pace feels when I write it out. Of course if you have an opinion on this, or anything else at all, please share it and I will take it under serious consideration and there's a good chance I'll make the change if it's reasonable. A massive thank you once again to reviewers, you're the reason I continue this. Please leave feedback, I like to know if my writing sounds too cliche or cheesy, because I will fix it if it does. If I get a little feedback on this chapter, I'll try post again in the next couple hours, but I will definitely post tomorrow as well.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Twelve.**_

Harleen spent the next day focusing on Waylon and Crane, her sessions with them had passed in somewhat of a blur, her mind having been clouded with thoughts of her past and The Joker. By the end of the day Harleen made the decision to stop by a bar for a drink; in hopes of clearing her mind.

Harleen stopped by her house after work to drop off her car and to change into a modest black dress. The bar was a small place close to Arkham Asylum, she had heard of it in passing from one of her colleagues, as it was supposedly a popular place for them to go after their shifts. Harleen hoped slightly that she would not run into many of her colleagues, she just wanted a drink and to not be bothered.

The bar was a dimly lit place with a few tables scattered around the area and a cheap plastic jukebox that played faintly recognisable songs. As Harleen seated herself at the bar and ordered a mojito, which gained her a slightly annoyed look from the burly bartender, she looked around the area.

There were not many people around, thankfully, though as Harleen turned to thank the bartender for the drink he handed her, she caught sight of Logan. Harleen sighed and turned quickly, hiding her face behind her drink as she took a long sip and hoped he hadn't seen her.

There was no such luck however, as Logan soon sat heavily on the bar stool beside her. "Oh hi Harleen, you look great. Maybe I can buy you that drink?" He asked, smiling at her confidently.

Harleen considered turning and running straight out of the room as though she hadn't heard him, but quickly shook the thought from her mind "Hi Logan. I already have a drink, and I'm only staying for one" She said, hoping he would pick up on the hint.

Logan just laughed however, he leant in to Harleen and placed a hand on her knee "Oh well maybe we can just go straight back to your place?" He suggested. Harleen flushed with annoyance. "I'm not interested Logan" She said coolly as she brushed his hand from her knee.

Logan frowned at Harleen, still leaning far too close to Harleen for her liking. "Come on Harleen, you know there's some chemistry here. Let me show you" He persisted. "I said no" Harleen said, a little more steel in her voice. Harleen drained the rest of her drink and stood up.

"What is with you? You only talk to those _freaks_ at the nut house, you're being a bitch!" He exclaimed, moving to stand in front of Harleen. "They're not freaks! I don't like you, take a hint and leave me alone" Harleen said, feeling frustrated as she pushed past him and straight out the door, ignoring the very annoyed man she left behind.

Harleen had fumed about the event all night, how dare he act like that to her? Her colleagues were not better people than her patients, even if they were criminals. Harleen was still annoyed through the next day, as it was a day she had off, she spent her day finally practicing her gymnastics.

Harleens encounter with Logan had almost slipped from her mind that evening when she received a call. Harleen answered the phone, though before she could even speak, the caller began talking. "Hello? Harleen? I know it's late, but The Joker is causing a ruckus, he attacked one of the guards" Doctor Arkham began, sounding stressed.

"Is he okay?" Harleen asked, as she awkwardly tied her hair up with one hand and attempted to slip her boots on. "Logan has a broken nose, it looks like all the fingers on his left hand are broken. He has some bruising, he's not conscious but it looks like he'll be okay" Doctor Arkham soothed.

Harleen felt a rush of embarrassment and shock, she hadn't been asking about the guard who was attacked. "Did you say Logan was the one attacked? Is… Is Joker okay?" Harleen didn't know what to think, why had Joker attacked Logan? She needed to get to the Asylum to check on him, she thought, ignoring all logic in the situation.

"Yes, it was seemingly random. The Joker has a few cuts and bruises from being pulled off Logan, none of the medical staff will tend to him, they're all too afraid of him" The stress in his voice rose another level as he spoke.

"I'm on my way in now, Doctor Arkham. I have some basic first aid training, I'll go in and see how his wounds are" Harleen stated, leaving no room for argument as she grabbed her handbag and rushed for her car; still dressed in a relaxed tank top and jeans.

"I would normally say it's too dangerous, Harleen, but we really don't have another choice here. We can't leave him untreated, even if his injuries are minor" Doctor Arkham said.

"I'll be there in ten minutes" Harleen said quickly, hanging up the phone. She made record time driving to Arkham Asylum, as she ignored her usual rule of never breaking the speed limit; and even in her panic, had to admit there was something of a rush in doing so.

Harleen power walked through the empty reception and was intersected in the long hall way outside her office by Doctor Arkham. "Thank you for getting here so quickly Harleen. I wouldn't normally ask this of you, but the medical staff won't go near him, not that I can blame them. Joker seems to react well to you, but armed guards will be outside the room. He's in solitary confinement, cell three" He said, looking frazzled, his normally perfectly groomed hair in slight disarray.

Harleen nodded simply, she took the offered first aid kit from Doctor Arkham, and almost ran towards the basement level where she knew solitary confinement resided. The guards along the way to solitary seemed to already know she was coming, as they let her through without question when she flashed her badge at them.

Getting to cell three, Harleen didn't glance at the armed guards as they opened the secure door, and allowed Harleen inside. Harleens eyes fell on Joker immediately. He was seated on the bare cot bed, still in a straight jacket. He looked okay, one long bruise ran along his jaw, and a deep, though short, cut was gashed on his cheek.

Harleen rushed forward and dropped to her knees beside him, reaching out immediately to undo the straight jacket. Joker laughed "To what do I owe the _pleasure,_ Harley Quinn?" He sung mockingly. Harleen ignored his question as she pulled the jacket off of him and discarded it behind her.

"Are you okay? What happened Mister J?" Harleen asked, not noticing her accent slip into her voice in her panic. The Joker cackled "Is that a _Boston_ accent I hear? I like it, I like it, I like it. _Mmm_ call me Mister J again" He said, flashing his silver teeth as he ignored Harleens words. He rolled his neck and shoulders and stretched out his arms.

Harleen flushed "I didn't mean to call you that, I'm sorry Mister Joker, it was unprofessional. I keep my accent out of my voice, it slips sometimes" She said, rummaging through the first aid kit to avoid Joker's eyes in her embarrassment.

The joker laughed once again "Don't you worry your _pretty little head about it_ " He rasped "Why don't you let _loose._ Let that pretty little accent show, call me Mister J, _do it, do it, do it, do it"_ He added in a low voice, leaning towards Harleen.

Harleen froze in her act of pulling the supplies she needed out of the kit. "Only around you… Mister J" She said quietly. It felt freeing inside to let her accent seep back into her voice, though the idea of anyone else hearing her made her anxious. "Please tell me what happened Mister J" She pleaded, moving to sit beside Joker on the cot.

Joker growled slightly, but allowed Harleen to begin dabbing ointment on his bruises as he began talking. "Logan was being a bad boy, saying _naughty_ things about my little Harlequin; so daddy had to teach him a little lesson" He said darkly, flashing his silver teeth at her.

Harleen paused in the midst of dabbing the ointment on his face, he had hurt Logan for talking about her? Why did that give her a thrill of pleasure, and not disgust her? Harleen resumed her gentle application of the ointment, secretly relishing in the chance to touch his smooth skin.

"I ran into him at a bar last night, he didn't take rejection very well. It doesn't surprise me that he was talking about me" Harleen said finally "But you didn't need to hurt him for me, Mister J" She added, putting the ointment away and pulling on a pair of latex gloves.

Joker rolled his eyes in an exaggerated motion "What can I say, I'm a, uh, possessive man" He said, laughing loudly. Harleen flushed yet again "The cut on your face is going to need a couple stitches, I only have a numbing spray here, so this might hurt a little" Harleen said, instead of responding to Jokers claim on her.

Joker just laughed and motioned for Harleen to go ahead. Harleen used a disinfectant wipe on the cut, keeping her eyes determinedly off Jokers as she used a numbing spray on his cut. Harleen threaded the needle, and disinfected it with another wipe as she waited a few moments for the spray to take effect.

Joker was silent as Harleen carefully made three neat stitches in his face and placed a small clean bandage over it, a feat which impressed Harleen. Harleen studied her work for a moment before pulling away and discarding her supplies, still avoiding eye contact with Joker.

As Harleen made to stand, Joker caught her wrist "Leaving so soon, _sugar?_ " He asked, catching Harleens eyes as he leaned in so closely to her that Harleen could smell the minty scent of his regulation Asylum body wash. Harleens heart jumped into overdrive as he ran a finger down her face, before clasping his large hand around her throat with slight pressure "Are you _scared_ , Harley?" He sung darkly.

Harleen was surprised, but she was not afraid. Her heart pounded not unpleasantly at his close presence, but not in fear. "No, I'm not afraid Mister J" She said quietly, her voice even. Joker laughed loudly, bringing his hand up to clutch at her jaw instead. Harleen leaned in slightly, a small voice protesting in the back of her mind.

"I shouldn't do this Mister J… Why do I want to so much?" She questioned in a whisper, sounding slightly childish to herself. Joker flashed his silver teeth at her and twisted his head around before making eye contact with Harleen "Because you're just as crazy as I am" He rasped quietly, laughing loudly.

Harleen ignored the voice in her head telling her to leave, and closed the gap between herself and The Joker, to press her lips lightly against his. His lips were surprisingly warm, as he pressed them against Harleens firmly. He took charge quickly, moving his mouth smoothly as he flicked his tongue against her lip.

Harleen pulled away, breathing deeply. Joker cackled "Didn't that feel _good,_ Harley?" He drawled "Don't you want to be _bad._ Be your true _crazy_ self" He said, his voice lilting and rasping hypnotically. A large part of Harleen wanted to give in entirely, she cared for Joker in a way she had not experienced, her desire to be around him, to take up the offer of true freedom she desired desperately somewhere in her depths, but there was still the piece of her that had worked so hard to be the uptight Doctor that protested the change.

"I have to go Mister J, they will come check if I don't" Harleen responded quietly. She picked up her belongings and made a move to leave, but hesitated. Harleen turned and before she could think about it, she brushed her lips once more against his. "Bye Mister J, I'll be back soon. I'll see if I can get you out of solitary tomorrow" She said, turning for the door once more. Joker growled slightly, his shark toothed grin in place as he eyed her "Good girl _Harlequin_ , taking care of daddy" He responded in a slightly mocking tone, those his eyes blazed intensely, never wavering from her.

Harleen exhaled softly as she left the room, Joker was Hellish but he made her feel like Heaven. He seemed to be able to peer into the depths of who she was, to understand the longing she had to be free; free from the strict, professional person she had made herself, free from the pain and guilt she had suffered in her life. He offered all of this, and Harleen knew she wouldn't be able to resist forever, she didn't even think she wanted to. An increasingly softer voice argued that she was being crazy, that she couldn't give everything up for Joker, but she found the voice easy to ignore.

Harleen walked past the guards quickly. She stopped by her office, closing the door behind her she leaned against it. Harleen brushed her fingertips against her lips, the memory of Jokers own lips ghosted across hers. Harleen didn't know what she was doing, but she knew she needed The Joker around for it.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Author's Note: This is just a quick chapter, the big one will be next chapter! I want to make it clear that I will post regardless of reviews (just to the reviewer who mentioned it). I do not post in exchange for reviews. However I love having feedback, and it does help me with my desire to post even quicker for you all. I took on board the note about wanting a chapter in Joker's perspective, and I will probably add it in. It won't be this chapter, however. I hope you all enjoy.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Thirteen.**_

Harleen was strangely focused as she dressed for work the next day, she dressed slowly, drank a cup of tea, and made her way to work. It was as though the internal battle she had been fighting was coming to a close; she had accepted that she needed Joker. She cared for him in a way she was sure no one else did, she hadn't realised she was falling until she could see the bottom

Harleen still struggled with where her life would go from here. Could she let go of the life she had fought to build, for the uncertain life that would be sure to follow in her complete acceptance of Joker? Harleen was many things, but she was not weak. Once she committed to one life or the other she would throw her all into it.

Harleen thought she loved Joker, probably. She was obsessed with him certainly, enthralled entirely by his presence and everything he offered her. Their kiss had made all the struggles Harleen had, all the guilt and pain, drop away. She was free with him, his life as the King of Crime, as a man who saw the world in a way no one else did, was more enticing than anything Harleen had encountered before. It felt like the person she really was, underneath the persona she had built herself up to be over the years, was made to be with Joker.

As she methodically wrote up notes from the night before, Harleen wondered what her life would be if she decided to try and bury this truth, if she continued as just another doctor at Arkham Asylum. She couldn't picture this future, she couldn't see what her future would be, but in all the scenarios that she could picture, Joker was there. Maybe he was manipulating her, but either way, he had made her realise that this was not her life, not the one she was meant to be living in any case.

Harleen made a quick call to the guards who worked solitary confinement, and told them she needed Joker moved into a therapy room. The confused guard questioned the orders, having not been told that Joker would be moving from solitary confinement, but agreed once Harleen added a little steel to her tone and told him that the orders had come from Doctor Arkham.

She would be in huge amounts of trouble if anyone found out she was doing this, she realised, as she walked to the therapy room slowly. It was worth it, she dismissed, she needed to see Joker, she needed to talk to him. She had to know what was between them, what her life would be if she gave herself over to him and his life.

Harleen seated herself in the therapy room before Joker arrived, something that had not happened before. She waited in silence as Joker was brought into the room and was unchained at Harleens request. She waved the guards out of the room, never losing eye contact with Joker as he splayed himself across the other chair.

"Hi Mister J" Harleen said eventually. She sat forward, leaning to brush her hand ever so softly across the bruise on his jaw, which had darkened slightly over night. "I don't know what to do" She admitted finally. The Joker grinned "Well you just have to, uh, let go. Let Mister J show you who you _really_ are. You want to be my little _Harlequin,_ you want to cause some _chaos"_ He spoke lowly, causing Harleen to lean even closer to him.

"I want to be with you" She admitted "I think I love you, I want to be free. But I shouldn't" Harleen said quietly, her heart was in her throat at the admission, she didn't know how he would react.

Joker laughed, his head twisting in a loose circle before his eyes snapped forward and he leaned across the table abruptly " See? You're just as, uh, crazy as I am. You are made to be _bad_ , and baby I do _bad_ better than anyone" He rasped. Harleen felt something inside her shift at his words, the voice of resistance had faded out of existence, she felt free in her acceptance of Jokers words.

"I can't stay long Mister J, I wasn't supposed to take you out of solitary in the first place. I'm going to talk to Doctor Arkham, I'll get him to take you out of solitary, J" Harleen promised.

Joker cackled again "You're going to come back real soon, _sugar._ You don't want your J to be stuck in here forever now do you" He stated, a darkly teasing tone in his voice.

"I'll come back tomorrow, Mister J" Harleen said, nodding slightly. She watch as Joker leaned forward, she moved across to meet him, stopping as their mouths were an inch away from each other.

"Good girl, _Harley Quinn"_ He drawled slowly, before pressing his mouth firmly to Harleens. They kissed passionately, Joker's teeth caught Harleens tongue as it brushed along his lip, it felt to Harleen like everything was right in her world for that moment in time.

As they pulled away, Harleen exhaled slowly. With a slightly lingering goodbye, Harleen made her way up to Doctor Arkhams office. She shared a nod with Doctor Leland, who seemed to be heading back the way Harleen had come from.

Harleen reached Doctor Arkhams office, and knocked firmly on his door, as soon as she heard the call for her to come in, she opened the door and took a seat in front of his desk. "I need Joker to be moved out of solitary confinement" Harleen said, not bothering with the usual hello's.

Doctor Arkham's eyebrows shot up his forehead at her words. "Solitary doesn't effect Joker, it's counter productive, all it does is delay my sessions with him" Harleen continued on, before he could respond.

"Joker will be moved back to his original cell today" Doctor Arkham said. Harleen felt a rush of relief at his quick agreement but was cut off from responding by Doctor Arkham. "Doctor Leland requested she be able to try her ECT treatments on Joker, I signed off on it this morning. She's beginning her sessions now I believe, after that Joker will be moved back to his cell" He stated.

Harleen felt like her heart had stopped beating in her chest "You signed off on electro shock for my patient without talking to me?!" She exclaimed "You can't do this, it will set him right back from all the progress that I've made!" She said desperately.

"After Jokers incident yesterday, I decided to allow alternative treatments. I can and have agreed to this, Harleen" He said sternly. Harleen stood abruptly, shaking her head. She walked quickly for the door, she had to stop this if she could. She had heard of Leland's 'treatment' it was closer to torture than health care; she did not even anesthetize her patients before sending strong electrical currents through their brains.

The thought had Harleen panicking as she rushed through the halls. Harleen finally made it to the room in which she knew Doctor Leland held her ECT sessions, she pounded on the solid door firmly, hearing the distinctive laughter of Joker from behind the door.

The door opened sharply and Doctor Leland stood in the slightly ajar doorway "What? I'm in the middle of a session, Doctor Quinzel" She said, sounding annoyed. "You can't do this, Joker is my patient, you're not doing any good by _zapping_ his brain!" Harleen said firmly.

Doctor Leland looked annoyed "I have every right to perform electroconvulsive therapy on Joker, I was signed permission this morning. You may have your session with him tomorrow" She said in a tone that said she would not listen to Harleen on the matter.

Doctor Leland abruptly shut the door in Harleens face, locking it behind her. Harleen smacked her closed fist once more against the door in frustration. Would Mister J be okay? She thought desperately, he would be furious that she hadn't been able to stop this.

Harleen was lost, she couldn't do anything to stop the ECT, she would have to wait until her session with Joker tomorrow. He didn't belong here she thought firmly, as she walked to the reception area. Joker was not insane, he saw the world in a way so uniquely, so freely, that people just did not understand him, she argued in her head, well no one but her understood him she added.

Harleen stopped a younger man behind the reception desk, and told him she was going home sick. She did not have appointments today in any case, but she would not be able to focus until she was back with Joker tomorrow.

Thoughts of Joker in ECT haunted her, if she had any doubts about whether being with Joker was the right thing to do before, they were gone now. She accepted her desire to leave this dull, _false_ , life she had forced upon herself with surprising ease. The calm that came with her full acceptance was met with a fiery burning passion. Joker was her patient, Mister J was her new _life_ , she could not allow anyone to stand in her way.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Author's Note: This chapter got a little lengthy so I split it into two, to make up for it, I'll try post again tonight. I'm a little indecisive about how to have Harleens accent come across, because I don't want to write all in slang, also I'm not even from America so any tips on improving the dialect would be awesome. As always, every one of you who have reviewed, followed, and favourited are amazing, thank you.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Fourteen.**_

Harleen did not sleep that night, she sat awake, drinking wine, and building up the courage to look into a small, crumbling cardboard box she usually kept in her wardrobe. Harleen finished her third glass of wine, put the bottle away, and made herself a cup of tea, before she sat cross legged on her bed.

The box was something Harleen had not looked in for years, it contained the few things she had kept from her childhood. Harleen took a deep breath and opened the box. She pulled out the small stack of photos and flipped through them. There were not many photos, and they were not exactly joyous looking images that had been captured.

The first few photos were of Harleen as a baby, her brother was about four in them, and did not look thrilled to have his mother's attention diverted. There were two photos of Harleen in front a small cupcake, her sixth birthday, she realised. Her father had once again been absent, her mother had been steadily sipping on a vodka and tonic through the day; but had attempted to get it together enough to produce a small cupcake for Harleen.

The next few photos were seemingly random snaps of Harleen and Barry through the years, set against the backdrop of various locations around the crumbling house that she had grown up in. Harleen stopped at the very last photo, a rare occasion where her parents had been home at the same time, and had been getting along well enough to stand for a photo with Harleen and Billy.

Her father was a rough looking man, solidly built with sandy blonde hair and grey eyes, set in a face weathered beyond his age. Her mother looked perpetually tired, her once beautiful blonde hair was frazzled and pulled loosely away from her face. Her eyes were similar to Harleens, the same piercing blue. Harleen looked similar to her mother, while Barry was almost a carbon copy of their father., Harleen briefly wondered if he still looked like their father.

Harleen placed the photos face down back into the box, as she sifted through it slightly. There were a few different certificates and ribbons from various awards and accolades Harleen had collected over the years, and a sloppily drawn picture Harleen had drawn when she was about five of what appeared to be herself drawn in a red princess dress, holding hands with what she thought was supposed to be a prince, but may have been a tree.

She sighed, closing the box firmly and placing it on her bedside table, the box was from a childhood she found hard to relate to as her own. She slept uneasily, that night, she felt like something big was coming.

Harleen made her way to work quickly that morning, almost forgetting her glasses in her rush. Harleen made her way quickly through the halls, ignoring the whispers and nods toward her. She needed to organise her appointments for the day, she was going to see all her patients today, starting with Joker.

Harleen rushed through setting up her appointments, she power walked to the therapy room, the thought of Joker having ECT had haunted her dreams last night, she had no idea what would happen when she finally saw him, she didn't know if he would be okay.

Harleen didn't acknowledge the guards around Joker's therapy room other than to tell them to get Joker out of all of his restraints. Harleen played with her fingers impatiently as she waited for the guards to return. After what felt like a lifetime, the guards exited the room and Harleen rushed past them.

Joker sat in his usual chair, his green hair was slightly mussed, an unusual change. His eyes were clear, to Harleens relief as she studied his face intensely, looking for telltale signs of damage. The uncharacteristically serious expression on Jokers face made Harleens heart leap with anxiety.

Harleen moved to kneel in front of his chair, she brushed his hair back into place gently before speaking "I'm so sorry Mister J, I tried to stop her, I really did" She spoke as earnestly as possible "Are you okay?" She questioned, moving to sit in her usual seat.

Joker began to laugh chillingly, he leaned across the table and grasped Harleens throat firmly, he brushed his lips against hers ever so slightly " _Mmm_ Daddy J will deal with _that_ later. You don't want your Mister J stuck in here forever with these people do you?" He breathed.

Harleen shook her head slightly, causing Joker to drop his hand, he twisted his head around slightly as Harleen spoke "Of course not, Mister J" She said.

"There is something you could do for me, _doctor"_ He growled, leaning forward slightly in his seat again.

"Anything. I mean, yeah" She said earnestly, she would do anything to help him, she knew. He would help her be who she truly was meant to be.

Joker stared Harleen in the eyes, his gaze intense "I need a machine gun." He said, never breaking eye contact. Harleen could feel her eyebrows raise slightly at the request, she knew how to get a gun, it wasn't hard to do in a town like Gotham, which was so rampant with crime.

"A machine gun?" She clarified. The Joker flashed his metal teeth at her as he began to laugh slowly in response. Harleen hesitated for just a moment, this was the time where she would truly make her decision a reality.

"I'll get a machine gun for you Mister J, I'll help get you out of here" She vowed, smiling back at him. Jokers laughed increased to a loud, slightly maniacal sound, as he leaned across the table and pulled Harleens mouth against his in a fierce kiss.

" _Good girl_ " He rasped. Harleen brushed her lips against his once more "I need to go Mister J, I have a lot to do before tomorrow" Harleen said, standing from her chair. The Joker just flashed his shark-toothed smile in response.

Harleen threw him one last glance as she walked from the room, ignoring the questioning looks thrown at her by the guards due to the unusually short session. Harleen considered all that she had to do, her plan had been to see Waylon and Crane, but she needed to organise the machine gun for Mister J, along with a plan on getting it to him.

Harleens thoughts drifted back to Waylon and Crane, she shouldn't leave her patients here without her. She knew she would not be returning to work once she freed Joker, she wasn't stupid enough to think that no one would know what she had done, and she could not trust the other doctors with her patients. Maybe she would be able to free them as well, she considered. At the very least it would cause a large enough distraction that Joker would have a much easier time escaping.

With that thought in mind Harleen walked to her office and cancelled her appointments for the day, claiming a family emergency. She walked down to her car and drove home. She knew that in a town like Gotham, there were always ways of getting anything you needed.

Harleen knew of a weapons store that was run by a former acquaintance of her father's who had a reputation of dealing to the shadier side of Gotham. She should be able to get a machine gun from him, for the right price of course. Harleen rummaged through her closet for a duffel bag that normally contained her gymnastics attire.

Harleens heart was pounding, but she felt a sense of thrill and excitement she had not had before. She stopped at an ATM and emptied her accounts, buying this gun, along with all the ammo, would wipe all the savings she had carefully saved over the years. It was worth it, she dismissed.

The weapons supply store was in the same place it had been when she was a child, on the occasions she had refused to be separated from her father so he had been forced to take her around with him, to some less than savoury places.

The windows were heavily barred, and blacked out. The dark paint chipping away from the front of the store. A bell jingled as Harleen opened the heavy door, glancing around the crowded store she made her way to the counter.

As she reached the dusty wooden counter a large man appeared. He was of average height, with a large pot belly, and a shock of grey hair, accompanied by a bushy silver moustache. He raised his eyebrows at the sight of her "Little Harleen Quinzel?" He asked, his voice gruff.

Harleen attempted a smile at the man, Jonesy she recalled having called him when she was a child. "Hi Jonesy, it's been a while" Harleen said. He nodded and leaned against the counter "What can I do for you Harleen?" He asked.

Harleen glanced around slightly before raising the duffle bag and emptying it on the counter so that Jonesy could see all cash she had pulled together. "I need the best machine you have Jonesy, and all the ammo I can get" She said, watching his bushy eyebrows shoot up his forehead.

"Well I don't make money asking questions" He replied eventually, before turning and walking through to the back of the store. He returned a few minutes later, carrying one of the largest guns Harleen had ever seen, it was sleek and beautiful she had to admit however.

Harleen didn't listen as he went on to explain all the aspects of the gun, she wouldn't be the one using it. Glancing to her side as he spoke, a row of cheap batons caught her eye, she picked one up and tested swinging it through the air, it felt more natural to her than she would have imagined.

"I'll take the gun, Jonesy. The baton as well, and as much ammo as I can afford" She said, not thinking too much about what she would be using the baton for; she had vowed to herself that no one would stand her way anymore, she had meant it.

Jonesy didn't speak much as he counted her cash and then began piling ammo on the counter, while he was doing this, Harleen checked the safety on the machine gun and placed it into her duffel bag. She slipped in her baton, and started piling ammo on top.

Harleen left soon after that, she walked slowly, not wanting to draw attention to herself. Harleen made it to her car and carefully place the duffel bag in the back seat. She had turned to make her way to the drivers side of the car, when a store window caught her eye.

She glanced in her wallet quickly, before pulling her credit card from it and walking towards the store. She hesitated momentarily, before entering and greeting the bored looking attendant. Harleen eyed the racks for a moment, before she pulled a deep red button up shirt, along with a well fitting pair of black slacks, a beautiful pair of black dress shoes, and a high quality black suit jacket from their hangers.

She handed them, along with her credit card, over to the attendant. Harleen waited for the man to carefully slip her purchases inside a bag, before she thanked him and walked from the store. She hoped Joker would like the outfit she had picked out for him. She knew he would want to be out of the regulation grey Arkham Asylum sweats as quickly as possible.

Harleen stopped to slip the bag inside her duffel bag, before she drove slowly home. She very carefully brought the bag inside with her, as she walked around her apartment. She thoughtfully selected her outfit for the next day; a deep blue shirt, a pair of tight black pants, and some ankle boots that she could run in if she needed to.

She glanced at the box sitting on her bedside table. The one that contained her only mementos from her childhood. She picked it up and ran her hand along it before placing it carefully in her fire place. She splashed a little lighter fluid on it, and lit a match.

Harleen watched the match burn for a moment, before throwing it down on the box. No going back, she thought confidently, as she watched the box blacken and crumble in the flames.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Author's Note: Okay this chapter really shows a few of the changes I've made to the story. As I have changed/added parts onto Harleen, there are going to be differences in her relationship with Joker, and therefore the events that follow. I hope I've done some of these scenes justice, I made some decisions for this that I'm not super sure on. Please let me know what you think, I'm unsure of how I've done with this one. Enjoy.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Fifteen.**_

Harleen did not spend a lot of time sleeping the night before she was to break Joker out of Arkham Asylum. She lay in her bed, eyes closed, and considered her plan for the next day instead. She had run through as many scenarios as she could, and had come to the conclusion that she would have to do a lot of improvising.

Getting into the building would be easy enough, her duffel bag would conceal all that she needed well enough, and the guard at the front gates hardly even glanced up from his newspaper long enough to check the identification cards, so he would not be an issue.

The next possible issue was the reception, it all depended on who was working on whether they would question her large duffel bag, if they didn't believe the simple excuse of her having spare clothes she intended to keep in her office, then she would have to improvise. Harleen knew that her swipe card opened the door that led behind the reception desk, she was prepared to use force if needed.

The next issue was the guards outside the high security area, she would need their keys to open Jokers cell. She had considered pulling the fire alarm, but in the chaos that would ensue, she could not guarantee that she would have a chance to swipe their keys. That left her only option to be using a fake story to get one of the guards constantly on duty to leave long enough for Harleen to take down the other guard and take his keys.

From there, Harleen would be able to get Joker out of his cell, and give him all of the supplies she had gathered. Harleen had gone back and forth on releasing Wayne and Crane, the distraction they would cause would be enough to allow for an easier escape, though there was always the chance they would just try to murder her instead, Wayne being the real concern there. What was life without a little risk, she mentally shrugged the concern off.

By the time Harleens alarm rang, Harleen had managed to get a few hours of sleep. She showered slowly, and took the time to blow dry her hair, which she left down for the first time in a long time, and applied some make up. Harleen dressed in the outfit she had carefully selected the night before, and looked in the mirror. She looked good, she decided, Harleen sighed as she slipped on her glasses; something about putting them on today did not feel right.

After double, and triple, checking the duffel bag, Harleen slipped her wallet from her handbag, which she had decided not to carry with her. Her wallet contained all of her identification, along with everything else she might need, so Harleen put it into the pocket of her white lab coat as she shrugged it on. Glancing at the time, Harleen realised she was still ten minutes too early, so she made a strong cup of coffee (skipping her usual tea, in favour of the caffeine hit she knew she would need today), and sipped it slowly.

The drive to work felt slightly surreal, Harleen felt a large surge of excitement, and a smaller rush of anxiety. She didn't know exactly how today would go, but in exchange for her new life, and Jokers freedom, it was worth all the risks.

As Harleen had predicted, the guard at the front gate barely glanced at Harleens ID before opening the gates for her. Arkham Asylum had two paths that led from the main parking lot, around the sides of the building, and to the back of the building. The back of the building had another small parking lot by the back doors, which were mainly used to access the large dumpsters.

Harleen chose to park by the back doors, knowing that the back door was much easier to access, so it would provide a better chance at a quick getaway. Harleen gathered her duffel bag, and carefully placed its strap over her shoulder, wrapping one arm around it as securely as she dared, so as to limit the sounds of metal clanking while she walked. Without locking her car, Harleen made her way around the building to the front entrance.

Harleen took a deep breath, smoothed her hair back, and slightly awkwardly reached into her coat pocket to produce her swipe card. Entering the reception, Harleen tried to walk as calmly as possible, as she glanced over to the reception. As it was her luck that Pat sat behind the reception desk. This was good, Harleen thought, Pat liked to talk but she wouldn't question Harleens duffel bag too much.

"Hello Harleen dear! That bag looks heavy, moving in?" Pat joked, smiling at Harleen. Harleen forced a chuckle "Hi Pat. I'm just leaving some spare clothes in my office. You know how many accidents happen here" She said casually.

Pat nodded in understanding, as she opened her mouth to tell what was without a doubt a long winded story, Harleen cut her off gently "I'm sorry Pat, I'm actually late for an appointment. Have a good day!" She called.

"Oh okay. You have a good day too sweetie!" Pat called after Harleen, as she walked quickly to the doors. Harleen swiped her card and swiftly made her way through the halls. Harleen was lucky that most other staff members did not bother to talk to her, as she managed to make it to the hall that led to the high security unit without interruption.

Harleen stopped behind a corner in front of the guard station. Checking that she was out of view, Harleen slid her duffel bag off her shoulder, she took her baton from it carefully and slid it into her coat pocket. Harleen placed the duffel bag on the ground carefully, and tucked it close to the wall. Harleen took another deep breath and adjusted her face into one of panic, before she ran around the corner quickly.

Harleen rushed up to the guard's station, who both looked at her in surprise "Oh you have to go quickly, the patients in the medical ward are causing trouble, the nurses are in a panic!" Harleen said loudly.

The guard's exchanged a glance "I'll go check, you keep an eye on everything here" One of the guards said, hurrying off. Harleen waited a moment, till he was out of earshot, before she slipped her hand inside her pocket subtley. The guard remaining turned to Harleen to say something, but was cut off by Harleen swinging the baton viciously at his head. The man dropped like a stone to the floor, though Harleen swung at his head once more to be sure he would stay down.

She ripped the keys from his belt, before leaning over the man "Good night" She whispered, feeling a bubbling mix of excitement and nerves in her stomach. Harleen wasted no time in running back to grab her duffel bag, which the guard had thankfully not noticed in his hurry.

Harleen rushed through the doors to the high security ward, glancing through the small, barred cell windows for a flash of green hair. Harleen froze at one of the cells, inside was Waylon, his cell was bigger than the others, a small trench in the floor full of dark water was a tell tale sign that the cell belonged to him.

Harleen hesitated for a moment, before unlocking the door. Waylon looked at Harleen in what seemed to be surprise for a moment, before he growled deeply at her. "Shh, there's not much time. I'm uh, I'm resigning I guess you could say. So this is your chance to get out" Harleen explained hurriedly. Waylon looked extremely suspicious as Harleen leaned forward slowly, she held up the keys for him to see, as she carefully unlocked the muzzle on Waylon's face.

"I have to go, give them hell Croc'" Harleen said, turning to the door before Waylon could change his mind about not eating her. Harleen paused slightly at the door as she could have sworn she heard him growl out a thank you, behind her.

The next cell Harleen came across was Joker's, her heart leapt into overdrive at the sight of him. Turning her head slightly Harleen could see Waylon rush down the hall to the exit, she knew screams would be sure to follow shortly after. Harleen unlocked the door quickly, she rushed into the room, and threw her arms around a laughing Joker.

"I have some things for you Mister J!" Harleen said in excitement. She dropped the duffel bag onto the small cot beside Joker. Harleen unzipped the bag eagerly, and pulled out the gun, she presented it to Joker, and grinned up at him.

Joker ran his hand along the gun before grasping it and cocking it in one smooth movement. "Good _girl,_ sugar" He rasped, a wide smile on his face.

"I got you something else, too Mister J" Harleen said quickly, turning back to the duffel bag and pulling out the bag containing the outfit she had brought him. Handing it over, Harleen was slightly nervous as Joker peered inside the bag, he laughed slowly "Brought Daddy a present, Harley? I like it, I like it, I like it" He muttered, flashing his metal teeth at her.

Harleen glanced at the door quickly as the sounds of screams began echoing down the hall "You get changed and load the gun Mister J, I'm going to go let Crane out of his cell. I already let Croc' out and he's providing a little distraction" Harleen said.

Joker grasped Harleens wrist tightly and yanked her to him, he kissed her firmly, winding his hands around her neck and waist. Harleen threaded her own hands into his green hair. After a minute of passionate, rough, kissing, Joker pulled back, leaving Harleen gasping slightly. She turned and hurried out the door, glancing around her eyes fell on Cranes cell. She unlocked the door quickly, Crane looked up with an impassive face as Harleen rushed in, though he did raise an eyebrow.

"To what do I owe the unexpected visit, Doctor Quinzel?" Crane questioned, putting aside the thick book he was reading.

"There's not a lot of time, Doctor" Harleen said in a slight rush. "I'm not coming back, I let Waylon go, this is your chance to go too" Harleen said. Crane raised his eyebrows further, standing carefully from his cot. "I have to go now, Doctor, go cause some hell" She said, repeating what she had told Waylon.

Harleen didn't wait for a reply as she rushed back to Joker's cell. Joker was slipping his jacket on, his head hanging back as he laughed. He looked incredible, Harleen noticed, her eyes glued to him. He held his arms out to Harleen, who rushed forward and threw her arms around him tightly, revelling in the contact.

Joker pulled back slightly as he reached for the duffel bag, he loaded his gun, and then threw the bag to Harleen "Hold that for Daddy, Harley" he said, cocking his gun once again. He pulled Harleen into another long kiss, his hand firmly on the back of her head, he pulled back loudly "Let's go cause some _chaos,_ baby" He growled, letting out a maniacal laugh. Harleen smiled at him, she knew she had made the right choice, no matter what happened.

Harleen grasped Joker's hand tightly as they left the cells, the screaming and sounds of panic were getting louder with the addition of Cranes presence, to the terror Waylon had spread already. Harleen was focused on Joker as they walked through the halls.

Joker was in his element, Harleen could see now why he was the King of Gotham, he exuded danger and confidence. Every guard they came across was quickly filled with bullets, as Joker laughed loudly. They reached the offices, and Harleen let go of Joker's hand, to pass him more ammo, which he loaded quickly.

Doctor Leland came into view, looking panicked, as soon as she caught sight of Joker "I hope you won't be _shocked_ by this" he said, laughing maniacally as he shot Doctor Leland in the forehead, Harleen felt a confusing mix of shock and pleasure at seeing the awful woman drop to the ground.

He began walking down the halls towards the therapy rooms, whistling what seemed to be a made up tune. "I have, uh, one more thing to do here _Harley Quinn"_ He sung, stopping in front of what Harleen recognised as Doctor Leland's ECT room.

She felt a rush of anxiousness at the sight, but walked inside quickly as Joker opened the door with a flourish. He locked the door behind him with a resounding click. The dimly lit room was in disarray, it seemed that a session had been interrupted by the chaos outside.

Harleen turned to watch Joker as he shrugged off his jacket, he threw it over a chair and began unbuttoning his shirt, which he then threw on top of his Jacket. "Now we have, uh, _one little thing_ left to address, _Doc'"_ He sung, walking slowly towards Harleen.

Harleen slipped off her glasses and threw them to the side, she wouldn't need them anymore she thought vaguely, not breaking eye contact with Joker. "See I'm a little, uh, _upset_ about having my brain _zapped"_ He growled, his voice increasing in volume. "So I'm going to, uh, _share the medicine_ " He rasped.

Harleen stepped back slightly, bumping into the steel table behind her. Joker approached slowly, running his hand along her face, before pushing her back onto the table. Harleen made no effort to move as she watched Joker pull the straps across her body, and fasten them tightly. She felt slightly panicked inside at the prospect of the pain, but felt a stronger sense of acceptance; she wanted to know what he had been through, she would do anything to prove that she loved him, that she was sorry.

Joker pulled an overhead lamp harshly over Harleens face, moving to stand behind Harleens head "Now what do we have here" He sung, flashing his teeth at her. Harleen stared up into his eyes unflinchingly "I tried to stop her Mister J, I tried to help" She said earnestly.

He brought his face close to hers, looking into her eyes as he spoke " _Ahh_ but you didn't" He said lowly "So you helped her to _erase_ my mind of what few faded memories I had!" He finished in a shout, banging his closed fists against the table. He ran a hand through his hair, and leaned closely to Harleens face once again.

"Now, you left me in a black hole of rage and confusion. So I'm going to return the favour. I'm going to _break down_ what's left of _Harleen"_ He rasped, motioning grandly around with one hand "I'm going to show you who _Harley Quinn_ really is" He finished in a whisper. He turned and snapped purpled latex gloves on, abruptly pulling the ECT machine next to the table.

"Are you going to kill me Mister J?" Harleen asked, feeling calmer than she should, given the circumstances, she knew Joker would do what he needed to do.

"What?" He asked, as he picked up the two instruments she knew would send volts of electricity straight to her brain, and rolled his around on his neck slowly. "Oh no" He said, beginning to circle the instrument on either side of her head. Harleen could hear the whine of electricity from the machine. "I'm not going to kill you. I'm just going to hurt you, _really, really, bad"_ He rasped, leaning closely to Harleens face.

"I can take it Mister J" Harleen said softly, not looking away from his eyes. Joker reached for a spare strap, laying on a small silver tray, and snapped in together "Open up" He said, placing the strap between her lips "Wouldn't want you to break those _pretty, porcelain_ capped teeth when the _juice_ hits your brain" He growled, pressing his pointer fingers to his temples.

Harleen bit down willingly on the leather strap, and nodded up at the Joker. He picked up the instruments again, and looked into Harleens eyes as he pressed them firmly against her temples.

Harleen could feel her body convulse in a seizure as the pain rocketed through her, her mind felt like it was falling, falling down a deep, black pit. Images, memories, and feelings from her life as Harleen rushed through her mind; it was as Joker had said, a black hole of confusion and despair. But then an image of Joker flashed through her mind, and Harleen clung to it, his memory was the only thing keeping her from sinking all the way down.

Harleen came to awareness slowly, her limbs felt weak and tingly, as a metal roof came into view. Harleen glanced around, she appeared to be in a car of some sort. She glanced around frantically for Joker, and calmed slightly when she caught sight of him sitting in the driver's seat. "Mister J? Where are we?" She asked softly, vaguely noticing that her accent had come back in full force.

Joker laughed "Harley is awake! Good nap?" He mocked. "My body feels like puddin'" she responded, moving slowly to sit up as she regained feeling slowly. "Puddin'" He mocked "I like it, I like it, I like it. Say it again baby" He chanted. Harleen smiled widely, for once not worrying about covering her mouth self consciously, at the thought of him liking her accent "Anything for you, Puddin'" She complied happily.

Joker laughed slowly. "I took the _liberty_ of acquiring a car and rescuing the princess" He sung mockingly "Right as Batman himself showed up, I missed out on all the games" He added roughly.

"Thank you Mister J" Harleen said, feeling thankful that J had gone through the effort of taking her with him. Feeling stronger, Harleen clambered over the seat smoothly, to sit next to Joker.

The sound of a motorbike cut through the night, interrupting whatever Joker had been about to say. He glanced in the rearview mirror and rolled his eyes in annoyance "I don't have _time_ to play tonight _Batsy"_ He said loudly.

Harleen rolled down her window swiftly and glanced out, there he was, she thought. Batman was in his iconic black get up, riding a beautiful motorbike, he pulled up alongside Harleens window. She frowned in annoyance, he was interrupting their night celebrating freedom.

She glanced around quickly before leaning out of the passenger window. Harleen felt Batman's eyes on her, she could sense his confusion at the sight of her. She lunged suddenly and pulled sharply downwards on his handle bars. Harleen watched in fascination as the bike began sliding down on its side, Batman moved swiftly to crouch on the side of his sparking bike as it slowed to a stop.

Joker laughed loudly, pulling Harleen in towards him. Harleen moved eagerly, pressing a kiss firmly to his lips as he sped up to weave through the traffic in their stolen car, away from Batman.

"Where are we going, Puddin'?" She asked softly, delighting in letting go of her accent for the first time in years to use his new nickname. He grinned at her "I'm going to take you to your _new beginning"_ He said "I'm going to _create you"_ He added, laughing loudly.

Harleen didn't feel scared, she felt excited. This was the start of her new life, this was the end of being Harleen. Harleen pressed her head against the cool window as she watched the night rush by.

Soon they pulled up in front of what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse. Harleen shrugged off her white jacket and stepped out of the car, glancing up at the crumbling warehouse. It was surrounded by a chain link fence, though a large hole in the fence made it's presence redundant.

Joker didn't speak as he motioned Harleen forward, through the gap in the fencing. He picked the lock to the warehouse with an incredible ease, and stepped through the doors, flicking a switch to light up the massive area.

The warehouse was huge, filled with large vats full of a brownish substance. The side of the space was lined with a large metal catwalk. Which Joker led Harleen to. They climbed side by side, reaching a platform above one of the vats.

Harleen moved to the edge of the platform, to look down into the vats, she knew what they were. This was ACE chemicals, this was what had turned Joker into the man he was today.

"Question" Joker drawled from behind her. Harleen turned to look at Joker as he spoke. "Would you die for me?" He asked. "Yes" she responded without hesitation. "That's too easy" He murmured, rolling his head back slightly.

"Would you…" He trailed off, before inhaling heavily "Would you live for me?" He asked. "Yes" Harleen said, with just as much conviction as before, she stared into his eyes. She loved him, she loved what her life with him would be.

"Careful" He growled, raising a finger in the air "Do not say this oath thoughtlessly" He said, moving his hand over her mouth, covering it with the large tattooed grin "Desire becomes surrender, surrender becomes power" He rasped quickly. Harleen was enthralled by him, as she always was when he spoke.

He moved his hand down her face, running a finger over her lip "You want this?" He asked, his eyes burning back into Harleens. "I do" She answered, smiling at him slightly. Joker closed his eyes and twisted his head back and forth.

"Say it" He spoke quietly "Say it. Say it" He repeated, opening his eyes, still moving side to side slightly. " _Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty…"_ he chanted softly, moving his hand to grasp Harleens chin.

" _Please"_ Harleen said in a whisper, her eye contact with Joker never wavering. " _Mmm_ , God you're so... Good" He groaned, twisting his hands in the air around Harleens face.

Harleen walked to the edge of the platform, taking one last glance down into the chemicals as she turned to face Joker. He held his arms out, as though offering a hug, and watched as Harleen did the same. She smiled, and stepped backwards, falling down into the thick chemicals below.

Harleen gasped when she became submerged in the chemicals, they burnt unlike anything she had experienced before, but she wanted this. So she held her arms out and allowed herself to sink.

Joker growled from above, watching _Harley_ fall. He had briefly considered leaving her in the chemicals, but knew he could not. She was his after all. He growled once again, rolling his eyes as he shrugged off his jacket and dove over the edge of the platform, into the chemicals.

 _Harley_ felt his arms wrap around her, and gasped as her head broke the surface. She opened her eyes to see Joker's grinning face close to her own. _Harley_ felt _free_ as she began laughing, wrapping her arms tightly around Joker's neck, as his loud, crazy laugh joined her own.

The colour from Harleys Blue shirt, and Jokers red one, began seeping through the chemicals. They twisted and blurred into a purple swirl surrounding the two as they kissed deeply.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Author's Note: Okay, there is little bit of smut in this, but not really. Let me know if more or less is wanted in terms of sexual scenes (and how descriptive they are wanted to be). Sorry about the short chapter, it's sort of just here to lead on to the next stage of the story. As ever, thank you to all who have read, reviewed, and favourited. Also I am always curious to know what you would like to see in this next stage, I have a plan already but I will take any concerns and requests into consideration.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Sixteen.**_

Harley's skin was tingling, as was her mind. Harley barely acknowledged Joker pulling her out of the vat, and back to the car. She giggled at the feelings running through her body, the weight of her past was lifted; it was as though she was remembering it through a fogged up screen, a sense of detachment eased her mind.

Her mind felt simultaneously sharper, and as though it was floating. It was as though she was seeing a new spectrum of colours. She glanced at Joker, who was laughing loudly as he weaved through traffic, earning a cacophony of blaring horns. He was covered in the thick chemical sludge, as Harley knew she must be as well. He was still beautiful, her Joker.

Joker pulled up to what looked like an abandoned part of town. He grinned as Harley clambered out of the car, staring at what appeared to be a large abandoned building. "Come, come, to your new _home_ " He sung. Harley's heart leapt at the word home, she skipped forward in excitement, wrapping her arms around Jokers arm and giggling as he led her to the doors of the building.

The doors were newer than the rest of the building, Harley noticed, they were solidly built with what appeared to be a scanner of some sort. Joker pressed a finger against the scanner and flung the heavy doors open with ease. The space they entered appeared to be some sort of garage, beautiful cars, large vans, and cars that seemed to be designed to blend in filled the area. There was a large space in the corner of the room that appeared to be a small lounge. It was littered with mismatched chairs and couches surrounding a coffee table, and facing a large wall mounted TV. Harley guessed this was Joker's space for his more loyal goons.

Joker seemingly ignored this as he strode to the far wall to what Harley thought was an elevator and pressed his finger to yet another scanner. The elevator doors slid open smoothly as Harley twirled inside, glancing around in fascination. She laughed as she caught sight of her reflection in the mirrored elevator, she was coated in the thick brown chemicals, though her eyes were bright and sparkling.

The elevator chimed as it opened to a large open space. The area was furnished beautifully, plush couches surrounded an enormous television, expensive statues surrounded the area. A shining kitchen was visible through an opened set of double doors on the far wall. A long hall lead to what Harley assumed were bedrooms and bathrooms.

"Daddy's home!" Joker called, striding into the room, rolling his head around as he inhaled sharply. Harleen laughed, running at Joker and throwing her arms around him, he spun her sharply, dipping her into a firm kiss. "What do you think _baby?"_ he rasped, pulling back.

"It's perfect, Puddin'" Harley beamed. It felt so _good_ to smile freely after all these years. "Can I have a shower Mister J?" She asked, leaning up to press a kiss to Jokers sludge covered cheek, ignoring the slight burn it caused.

Joker motioned dramatically towards the hall, and lead Harleen to a large bathroom. "Wow Mister J, it's so fancy!" She exclaimed as she took in the large bathroom. It was an intricately decorated room, covered in white and gold tiling. A large spa bath took up the end of the room, with a long marbled counter holding a gleaming sink underneath a massive mirror surrounded by lights.

What called to Harley most was the enormous glass shower, Harley began shedding her clothes immediately, dropping them to the tiled ground and skipping into the shower. Harleen turned on the shower, and sighed at the high pressure streams of hot water that pelted her. Turning her head Harley grinned over her shoulder at Joker "Goin' to join me Puddin'?" She called playfully.

Joker laughed loudly as he stepped into the shower, fully dressed. Harley beckoned him under the stream of water with a finger, she ran her out stretched finger along Jokers chest, grinning as he growled and snapped his teeth at her. "Let me help you with that Mister J" She said, unbuttoning his filthy shirt.

Joker cackled as Harleen unzipped his pants and shoved them to the shower floor. Joker lunged suddenly, pulling Harley to him tightly as she let out a shriek of delight. " _Naughty, naughty, naughty"_ He growled, biting at her neck. Harley pressed a kiss firmly to his lips, before spinning around a grabbing a large bottle of body wash and lathering it generously over her body, she winked playfully at Joker, who watching her with a predatory look as she pulled him close once again and began lathering him as well.

Once the water running along the shower floor ran clear, Harley made to step from the shower, only to be pushed back against the steamy shower wall. "Ahh, ahh, ahh, not so fast _Harley Quinn._ Aren't you going to show _Daddy J_ how much you, uh, like it here?" He growled lowly, running his teeth up her neck.

Harley moaned, as she dropped her head back. She ran her hands up Jokers slick back, feeling the firm muscles and scars underneath her fingers. Their skin felt so _smooth_ she marvelled, before she ran her nails roughly along Jokers shoulders. Joker groaned slightly, biting down on Harley's lip in return. Harley hooked her legs around Jokers hips as he pressed her against the wall. Harley could feel his large erection pressing between her legs as he pulled her earlobe between his silver teeth "You want it, _sugar_?" He asked lowly, Harleen nodded quickly, gasping slightly " _Say it, say it out loud for Daddy"_ He growled breathlessly. "Please Puddin'" She breathed, dropping her head back against the shower wall.

Half an hour had passed before Harley stumbled out of the shower, laughing delightedly. Joker wrapped a large towel around his waist "Make yourself at _home_ , baby. Your Mister J has to go take care of some, uh, business" He said, making his way to the door.

Harley twirled in the bathroom, she was finally free, she had her Mister J, and soon she would make her introduction to Gotham, firmly by Jokers side. Harley laughed out loud, dancing slightly as she dried herself with a plush white towel. Harley dropped the towel and made her way to the mirror. Wiping away the steam, Harley caught sight of her new appearance.

Her skin was as pale as the moonlight, just like Jokers she thought happily, running her fingers along her smooth arms; it was as though the fine hairs on her arms had been burned away in the chemicals. Her once golden hair was bleached to a white-blonde colour, it made her blue eyes pop eerily against her whitened complexion. Harleen ran a finger along her lips, though they were kiss swollen, they also had darkened in colour, appearing red against her ghostly appearance.

Harleen twirled in front of the mirror, delighting in her new appearance for her new life. She could use some more colour to this image, she decided staring in the mirror. Maybe some hair dye, and even a couple tattoos she thought excitedly. Harleen thought dreamily of the new look she would give herself as she brushed her hair and teeth. Harley did not have clothes, she realised, as she glanced at her ruined clothes on the floor.

With a shrug Harley smiled brightly and stepped out of the bathroom, walking to the door opposite the hall Harley peered inside. This must be Jokers room, she thought glancing around the grand room. The carpet was plush and red, it felt wonderful on Harley's feet as she walked into the room. The walls were swirling designs of red and black, with bizarre paintings placed artfully. A large circular bed covered in black silk sheets took up a majority of the space, Harley fell backwards onto it, before jumping to her knees and bouncing excitedly.

Harley rolled off the bed and made a beeline for a door that she knew must be Jokers wardrobe. Harley was correct, the wardrobe was as beautiful as the rest of the house, artfully decorated and massive. Harley pulled open drawers at random until she found a pile of expensive looking shirts. Pulling on a deep purple, silk button up, Harley skipped out of the closet and out of Jokers room. Glancing down the hall, she listened for a moment, hearing the faint sound of Jokers laugh coming from the room furthest down the Hall.

Harley peered inside the room slowly, the room was covered in weapons, they lined the walls, and covered the glass shelves that lined the room. There were knives, guns, swords, grenades, and every other type of weapon that Harley could imagine; it was glorious.

Joker was sat behind a large dark, oak desk in a tall, intimidating black chair, he was wearing a pair of tailored black pants, but remained shirtless. He glanced up at Harley as he spoke on the phone; he seemed to be calling around his empire, announcing his grand return. Harley took his look as permission to enter the room. Harley sat herself on Jokers lap, making herself comfortable. Joker looked at her once more with his shark toothed smile.

Harley snapped her teeth playfully at Joker before blowing him an exaggerated kiss. He growled quietly and spanked his ringed hand firmly on her hip, as he threw a wide smile at her.

Harley felt her eyes drifting closed as she drew her legs up to Jokers lap, and leaned against him. Joker seemed to ignore this as he continued with his phone calls. Harley drifted off slowly, listening to Jokers rasping, lilting voice and his frequent laughs. Harley adjusted herself slightly, as she began to fall asleep "I love you Puddin'" she murmured, Joker did not seem to acknowledge this, though Harley thought she felt the hand Joker had pressed to her hip tighten slightly as she fell into a dream filled with bright, swirling colours, accompanied by bright carnival music.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Author's Note: Okay, I'm probably going to skip the detailed smutty stuff for a couple chapters, I'm fine with writing it but I don't want to add it in unnecessarily (do let me know if you want me to add it in, I'll take it into consideration). I wasn't very happy with the last chapter so I'm going to take a little more time writing this one, it might seem a little fast/wild but I think that is exactly how they would be, especially at the beginning. I'm also working on the balance of adding more descriptive imagery and language without getting too wordy and pretentious. Also to the person who mentioned one shots, I will consider it, but I think those would come after this story (or at least until I'm much further along in this).**

 **P.S. The Kiwi slang for a blow job is a gobby, I had to refrain myself from finding a way to make Joker say it, purely because the mental voice I hear of Joker saying it is fucking hilarious.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Seventeen.**_

Harley awoke in a slow blur, she rolled onto her back and, from the feeling of silk underneath her, assumed she must be in a bed. Joker must have moved her while she slept, the thought warmed her heart causing a slow grin to spread across her face. Harley blinked her eyes open slowly, glancing around. She was in Jokers room she recognised, the warm sunlight drifting in through a nearby window illuminated the room enough for Harley to notice that Joker was nowhere to be seen.

Rolling out of bed, Harley considered what to do. She needed clothes, was her first thought. She tugged slightly at Jokers button up shirt that she had slipped on last night, perhaps she could ask Joker to have something brought to her until she could go buy a new wardrobe. That was an exciting idea, she thought, she could make over her wardrobe entirely and fill it with clothes she had not allowed herself to wear when she had been Harleen.

Harley stepped out into the brightly lit hall, the dark wooden floors felt surprisingly warm under her bare feet as she walked slowly down the hall. Harley ran her fingertips along the cool white walls. The walls around his apartment were covered in various paintings depicting everything from clowns to famous artworks (that looked suspiciously authentic), and decorative objects that ranged from wooden masks to large swords. It was an eclectic mix that suited Jokers peculiar tastes, yet it seemed to fit together perfectly.

Harley walked through the lounge room slowly, taking in more than she had when she first arrived. The room was lit brightly by a large wall of windows that Harley suspected were bulletproof, given how thick they were. The dark wooden floors were polished brightly, and red leather couches and chairs surrounded a glass coffee table that sat on top of a plush golden rug. It was a strange mix, but Harley loved it.

Moving to sit cross legged on the plush carpet, ignoring the couches entirely, Harley grabbed the remote and switched on the large wall mounted television. Flicking to the news Harley watched in fascination as what appeared to be a mugshot of Joker appeared on screen. "-crow, Killer Croc', and The Joker have staged a breakout from the infamous Arkham Asylum. At this point the casualties are known to be at fourteen, with the numbers rising as new information is received. Jonathan Crane, better know as Scarecrow, was captured by Batman before he managed to leave Arkham Asylum, though Killer Croc' and Joker are still unaccounted for" a serious looking Japanese woman said.

Harley pouted slightly at the fact that Crane had not managed to free himself, but at least Waylon had managed to escape. Harley felt a jolt of shock as her own face, the picture from her Arkham Asylum identification she recognised, appeared on the screen. "The breakout is thought to have been carried out by none other than _Harleen Quinzel,_ The Joker's own therapist. It is believed she left with Joker unconscious, so much speculation remains around the circumstances of Doctor Quinzel's involvement" The reporter continued.

Harley's pout increased at the report, all that work and they didn't even credit her properly. She needed to correct them on her name as well, she pondered. Her name was Harley Quinn, Doctor Harleen Quinzel did not exist anymore. She rolled her eyes as the television as the reporter continued on with speculating about the events of the Arkham Asylum breakout.

Standing from the soft carpet in one smooth motion, Harley twirled around and considered her options. She was hungry, so she could check for food, but she also missed Joker. Harley bounced on her toes as she tried to decide. Joker, she agreed upon internally, turning to head back down the long hall.

Harley stopped in front of Jokers office and hesitated, she better get in the habit of knocking she decided, as she rapped on the thick wooden door. "Come in" Sung the voice of Joker from within. Harley threw the door open quickly and hurried across the golden carpet to Jokers desk, where he sat in his elegant chair. Harley perched on the edge of the desk carefully as Joker appraised her in the dim light of his office.

"Good morning Puddin'" She chirped, leaning to brush a kiss against his cheek. "It's afternoon, you slept like the _dead_ " Joker said, cackling, though he pressed a kiss to Harley's hand. Harley turned herself so that she was facing Joker fully, shifting carefully around the various folders, papers, and designs for what looked like a small bomb.

"I need clothes Mister J, is there anything I can wear to get some supplies, please?" She asked, jutting her bottom lip out at him in a pout. Joker flashed his silver smile at her "Your Mister J takes care of you, little _Harlequin_. I have a tailor coming over to make you something to wear, and tonight we can go, uh, shopping" He said, his voice as thick as honey.

Harley beamed at him "Oh thank you Puddin'!" She exclaimed, Harley was not stupid, she knew that Jokers idea of shopping would be illegal and dangerous, but she was more than excited to go. Harley brought her legs up to sit cross legged on his desk and rested her elbows on her knees. "Who took care of this place while you were gone J? It's so clean and everything is already here" She questioned, a thought that had been playing on her mind since she had awoken.

Joker rolled his head around on his neck, and grinned "Frost is the only other person who has access to this floor, he takes care of things. My _right_ - _hand man_ " He sung. Harley nodded, it made sense that he would have a man to run things while he was away. "So there's food? I'll make you something to eat" Harley offered, still grinning brightly at him. Joker gave a playful growl and pulled Harley into a kiss "Good girl" He said as he pulled away. Harley hopped down off the desk and blew a playful kiss at Joker, who mockingly caught it. Harley didn't mind; she knew he wouldn't show his affection like a normal man, and she was fine with that. She knew he loved her, even if he didn't acknowledge it in the normal ways.

Harley was walking on air as she made her way into the kitchen. She was riding on the thrill of successfully freeing Joker from Arkham Asylum, and officially starting her new life. She knew it would be dangerous living a life as Joker's girl but that thought thrilled her to the point of giddiness.

The kitchen had no windows, was the first thing Harley noticed. It was lit instead by what seemed to be a small crystal chandelier, Harley gazed at it in amazement; a chandelier in the kitchen she marvelled. The room was modern and high-tech, with every surface and appliance gleaming in white and silver. A large marble island counter was surrounded by a couple steel bar stools.

Harley looked through all of the cabinets and through the fridge with the curiosity of a child. It was indeed fully stocked, Harley wondered if Joker often cooked for himself, she couldn't picture him standing in the kitchen making pancakes, she began giggling aloud at the idea. Actually pancakes sounded wonderful, Harley decided.

Having no music to listen to while she cooked, Harley decided to make her own. She sung loudly and freely as she mixed a quick batter for pancakes, and began drumming her spatula along while she cooked the pancakes on the hot stove top. Harley set out the pancakes carefully on the marble island, along with a selection of syrups and berries. Once Harley had laid out the plates and cutlery, she switched on a gleaming and confusing espresso machine.

She began to argue with herself in her mind, should she bring a plate to Joker or should she tell him breakfast (lunch, another voice interrupted her mentally) was ready in the kitchen, after a quick internal argument. Harley decided to tell Joker that the food was ready and she would bring him a plate if he asked.

Grinning at her decision Harley strode down the hallway to Joker's office, knocking quickly, Harley peeked her head into the room. "I made pancakes Mister J, do you want to eat them with me?" She questioned. Joker looked up from his phone, which he seemed to have been texting on, and laughed "Looking after me? How _sweet"_ He drawled, though he stood and made his way to Harley.

Joker grasped Harley's hand and spun her down the hallway, laughing slowly as Harley giggled wildly. Harley clapped happily as Joker sat in front of the meal she had laid out and inhaled deeply. "I made coffee Mister J, how do you like it?" She asked as she poured her own cup of coffee and added a little milk and sugar. "As black as my soul and as _sweet_ as you" He sung, laughing at his own words.

Harley laughed along as she prepared his coffee and brought it over to him. " _Mmm,_ I'll keep you" He growled, taking a sip. "You won't be able to get rid of me Puddin'" She replied cheerily, seating herself next to Joker. They ate comfortably, in what might have been considered a normal meal had they not been discussing the store they would break into that night, and the best weapons of choice. Harley felt like she was on cloud nine.

Joker left as soon as he was done eating, telling Harley he had business to take care of. He warned her that Frost would be over soon with the tailor, and that she should send Frost to his office while she dealt with the tailor. Harley had thanked him again, in the form of heated blow-job against the kitchen counter.

Harley had just finished the dishes when the elevator dinged, skipping out to the lounge room, Harley studied her new guests. Frost was a serious looking man, well built with close cropped dark hair, and intense brown eyes, he appeared to be in his late thirties. He had his guns in their holsters in full view as he led a small older woman forward. The woman looked to be about sixty, though she carried a large brown bag easily. She appeared to be italian, and did not seem at all intimidated to be in Jokers apartment.

Harley moved forward quickly, beaming at the pair "Hi, Harley Quinn, nice to meet 'cha" She chirped, hand out stretched. Frost took her hand in a firm handshake and nodded at her, his eyes studying her with well concealed curiosity. "Frost" He said simply, before nodding towards the woman "This is Eileen, she'll get some clothing sorted for you" He added. Harley sent another beaming smile at the woman, who nodded calmly in response.

"Mister J says you can go straight to his office" Harley said to Frost, who had turned back to the elevator and was pulling a large rack of clothing covered in black garment bags into the middle of the room. Frost nodded once more at Harley and Eileen, before walking from the room without a word. Harley rocked on her heels as she watched Eileen appraise her "Are you Mister J's personal tailor?" Harley asked, moving to sit on a chair beside the rack of clothing.

"I am. Stand for me, I will take measurements now" She said, her voice razor sharp, yet not impolite. Harley bounded out of the chair and twirled in front of Eileen dramatically. "Can you make something special for me, and have it sent later too?" Harley questioned, an image of an outfit that had played on her mind since Joker had nicknamed her springing to mind.

"Yes, we will fit you for these clothes first, then I shall draw it up for you" She dismissed, wrapping a measuring tape she had produced from her large bag around Harley.

Eileen was a quick woman, sharp as a knife, and not one for speaking much. Harley rambled on about the new clothing styles she wanted as Eileen measured her, then began rummaging through the racks, picking out bags at what seemed like random and throwing them over the back of one of the leather chairs.

"These outfits, you will like" She stated "I brought undergarments for you, put them on" She instructed, pulling a white bag filled with lacy underwear and bras from her large black bag and handing it to Harley. "Wow, you're like Mary Poppins, except scarier" Harley informed her, smiling brightly as she slipt into a bra and underwear that were sized perfectly (Joker must have checked her dirty clothes, she decided) "Scary Poppins, that's who you are Eileen" Harley added, throwing Jokers shirt to the side as she stood in front of Eileen in her undergarments shamelessly.

Eileen rolled her eyes at Harley as she began unzipping the garment bags, the next couple hours passed in a blur of outfits and alterations. Eileen was a wizard with a sewing needle, she pinned and altered all of the outfits that Harley tried on faster that anyone Harley had seen before, no wonder Joker kept her as his personal tailor, Harley marvelled.

"Scary Poppins I think that you're stabbing me with those pins on purpose now" Harley said, after she had jumped yet again when she had suddenly been jabbed by a needle. "No complaining, this is the last outfit. You would not be jabbed if you could stay still, it is your fault" Eileen replied around the pins she held in her mouth, her nimble fingers sewing quickly as she put the last few stitches in the outfit Harley was wearing.

Eileen stepped back and appraised the outfit "You are done, I will put the outfits back in their bags, you go look" She said, nodding at her work. Harley threw her arms around the stiff woman "Thank you Scary Poppins, you're the best, even if you do stab me" Harley said cheerily, before turning and making her way into the bathroom.

Harley was almost vibrating in excitement as she studied herself in the mirror. The outfit was a deep purple dress, it was tight and came to her mid thigh, though the material was flexible and easy to breathe in. Thin, sparkling silver straps held up the top of the dress. Harley twirled, she loved it, she had never been able to wear anything like it. Beaming at herself once more in the mirror, Harley made her way back to Eileen.

Eileen had hung the garments back on the rack, which she left in the middle of the room, and was seated on the couch "Come, sit down, you will tell me about the outfit you want made now" Eileen said, motioning to the seat next to her. Harley sat down quickly as Eileen pulled a pad of drawing paper and a small case of pencils from her bag.

"Well I want a sort of Harlequin outfit, because I'm Harley Quinn, see?" Harley laughed at her own joke before describing to Eileen what she wanted made. Eileens fingers were just as nimble when drawing as they were sewing. "This is what you want, no?" Eileen asked eventually, holding the drawing out for Harley to see.

The outfit drawn was perfect, a skin tight body suit made of a flexible, yet sturdy material. The outfit had long tight pants with one red leg, and one black one, along with a diamond printed on the outer thighs. The top half was long sleeved as well, half being black, and half being red to alternate with the pants of the body suit. Harley had added a diamond cut out to display a fair amount of cleavage. "It's perfect! You're a magician Scary Poppins" Harley exclaimed, before thanking Eileen and lunging at her to wrap her in another hug.

Eileen packed away her things, and shooed Harley off to inform the men that they were finished. Harley skipped down the hall, excitement radiating off her like rays from the sun. Knocking on Joker's office door, Harley waited for his call to enter, before bounding into the room.

Joker and Frost were seated around Jokers desk, both looked up as Harley entered the dim office, twirling in her joy "What do you think Mister J, I love it!" She exclaimed. Joker let out a loud wolf whistle, motioning Harley over as he grinned at her, his silver teeth shining. Joker pulled Harley to him, before dipping her into a kiss, ignoring Frost's presence "I like it, I like it, I like it" He growled "Isn't my Harley a _beauty,_ Frost?" He questioned, eyes glinting "Your girl is beautiful" Frost confirmed cautiously, his face impassive.

"Scary Poppins is done now, I like her!" Harley said suddenly, having momentarily forgotten the reason she had entered the room in her excitement. Joker threw back his head as laughed loudly " _Scary Poppins"_ He mimicked, continuing to laugh "You're a _delight"_ He announced, twirling Harley once more as he stood. "Frost, take Eileen home, make sure she's paid. Harley and I have a little, uh, _date"_ He said, his voice dropping and rising in such a way that it never failed to hold Harley's attention entirely.

Frost nodded at Joker and Harley, before exiting the room. "Go get ready, baby, Mister J has a couple calls to make before we go" He informed Harley, smacking her behind as she walked from the room. Harley laughed, and blew a kiss to Joker, who this time mimicked shooting in from the air before catching it. Harley laughed again as she walked from the room, she needed a shower before they were to go out, she decided.

Twenty minutes later, once Harley had dried and redressed, she rummaged through the drawers; briefly making mental notes on all the products she would need. After brushing her hair up into a high ponytail, for lack of any hair products or instruments, and brushing her teeth, Harley heard Jokers sing-song voice calling for her from the lounge, so she hurried from the bathroom, towards his voice like a moth to a flame.

"I'm all ready!" She announced, spinning in front of Joker, who stood by the elevator doors. "You look good enough to _eat"_ Joker said, snapping his teeth at a grinning Harley. The elevator ride was short, Harley studied Joker in the mirrored walls of the elevator, his green hair was slicked backs smoothly, his lips were a deeper red than usual with his lipstick back in place. He was dressed in his usual tailored black pants, an olive green shirt was unbuttoned on his chest, his tattoos visible once again. A black holster wrapped around both shoulders with golden twin guns at his sides. He was glorious.

Joker was soon leading Harley through the garage towards a beautiful deep purple Lamborghini. The car had a stunning white leather interior, and Harley couldn't help but run her hands along the passenger door before she hopped in, bouncing in excitement.

Harley looked over to Joker as he slid into the driver's side seat. Joker revved the engine, grinning at Harley and running his teeth along his silver teeth "Let's roll, baby" He rasped. Harley beamed at Joker, laughing delightedly as he pressed a small remote on the car visor and sped out of the now open garage door into the warm night air.

Harley looked up at the twinkling stars in the dark night sky as Joker sped through traffic. Harley laughed excitedly along with Joker as they played a game of chicken with the oncoming traffic, watching cars swerve out of the way hurriedly, blaring their horns.

Joker pulled to a sharp stop behind a high end department store. He jumped out of the car and rummaged through the boot while humming. Harley hurried to his side, as he handed her a large gun, swinging another over his shoulder. "Let's go shopping, _Harlequin"_ He sung, walking towards the front of the building. The glass windowed front gleamed until Joker raised his large gun and began shooting, the windows shattered into a glittering rain down to the cracked sidewalk, as Joker and Harley laughed.

Harley glanced down, remembering suddenly her bare feet "Puddin' I don't have shoes on" She complained, Joker rolled his eyes, but flashed his silver grin at her and swung her up abruptly into his arms bridal style. Harley giggled uncontrollably as he hummed loudly, carrying her over the shattered glass and into the building.

Putting Harley down he glanced around at a group of guards, Harley noted the guards running towards them from inside the store, having obviously been alerted by some silent alarm. "They're trying to ruin the fun Puddin'" Harley announced, raising her gun. Joker laughed maniacally as they began to gun down the guard's. Once they had dropped to the ground, Harley skipped forward to examine them.

Noticing a glinting on the wrist of one of the men, Harley leaned over and pulled the shining golden watch from his wrist. "Look Puddin' they got me a present!" She called, laughing delightedly like a child on Christmas. Joker whistled loudly "Getting my girl a gift? Why I ought to, uh, kill them" He growled, before cackling.

Harley spun around the dark store, examining the surrounding area. Expensive shoes and clothing was held in beautiful glass cases, some now splattered with blood or shattered entirely. Harley danced to the counter and pulled out a handful of large paper bags. Harley lost track of Joker for a while as she sung while skipping around the store placing anything that caught her eye into the bags. She took the time to slip on a pair of dazzling silver stilettos before making her way to the beauty counter.

Harley had the time of her life throwing makeup, hair products, and devices into one of the bags, it was the type of shopping spree she had always dreamed of, free. Harley began calling for Joker as she finished picking out all that she desired. "Puddin'?" She called "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" She heard the Joker yell from what sounded like the jewellery counter, followed by a loud laugh.

Harley skipped towards the sound of his voice, her bags swinging as she moved. Harley found Joker standing behind the jewellery counter, new expensive rings lining his long fingers. "Daddy made you something special, _Harlequin"_ He announced, his shark toothed smile in place.

"Oh, what did you make me, Mister J?" Harley asked, sliding over the counter, to sit on the edge, where she leaned to kiss Jokers now jewelled hands. Joker held up a thick black choker, he had slid beautiful gold letters onto the leather, spelling out the word 'Puddin'. Harley shrieked in delight, jumping onto Joker and wrapping herself around him tightly as she kissed him deeply. "I love it! Oh Puddin', it's perfect!" She all but yelled.

Joker put her down and spun her so that her back was to his front as he pulled her hair to the side. He slid the necklace around her slim throat, fastening it he nipped at her ear "Now you'll always remember who you belong to" He growled playfully in her ear.

Harley was cut off from the deep kiss she had drawn Joker into by the sounds of police sirens. Joker laughed, slinging his gun further up his shoulder "Time to, uh, blow this joint" He rasped. Harley held onto his arm loosely as the walked to the back doors, crunching over the broken glass cases.

Opening the fire exit door, they walked out to Jokers glorious car that was gleaming in the weak light from the street lamps above. Harley bounced to her side, dumping the bags in the back of the car. She slid into her seat, watching as Joker grabbed a few objects from the boot of the car, before he moved to the driver's seat; watching The Joker move was like watching a panther run, powerful, graceful, and deadly. It was beautiful.

Joker tossed the objects into Harley's lap, which she could now see were grenades. "Light it up, baby!" He yelled, peeling out into the streets. As they passed the front of the store, Harley leaned out the window. The police cars were gathered in front of the shattered store windows, illuminated by the flashing lights of their cars.

Harley pulled the pin on the grenade and threw it firmly. The grenade landed by the front police car, which was soon engulfed in a loud, flaming explosion. Harley shrieked with laughter as she watched the chaos, it was addicting to watch, a rush that made her heart feel as though it could explode.

Two of the unharmed police officers ran for their amazingly still intact vehicle and were soon in hot pursuit of Joker and Harley. Harley slid back in from the window and reached into the back seat where she had thrown her large gun. Pausing to kiss a laughing Joker roughly she leaned back out of the window and began firing at the police car.

"Interrupting is rude!" She yelled, laughing madly as she punctuated her words with bullets. Her bullets blew out the front windshield, causing the police car to spin out of control, before screeching to a stop. Harley once again slid back inside the car, breathing heavily as she laughed. Joker pulled her arm so that she fell into him, his laughter accompanying hers in a manic duet as the sped into the dark night.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Author's Note: Okay, a shortish chapter tonight, just showing some of the dynamics between Harley and Joker. Joker (in my opinion and therefore story) is not the type who will just say 'I love you' or bring flowers, his type of love involves obsession and violence. More along the lines of putting bullets in the skulls of people for disrespecting Harley, and taking her on wild crime sprees that make her happy, rather than cuddling up to watch a movie. The displays of love and obsession will continue and evolve with the story, but I wanted to make it clear that Joker is still Joker.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Eighteen.**_

Harley was in a world of delight, she had spent the day after her excursion with Joker taking over one of the spare rooms. The room had been used to store spare furniture, with pale pink walls, plush white carpeting, and bright overhead lights to make up for the lack of windows, it was perfect to be turned into her new dressing room.

Sorting through the mix of spare furniture, Harley had been able to put together a mismatched, though expensive, collection for the room. A light wooden vanity now sat along the wall, with a newly cleaned mirror. Two large, dark wooden sets of drawers lined another wall, with garment racks placed randomly around the room. Harley had found a collection of twinkling fairy lights that she had hung haphazardly around the room, along with a pair of plush white chairs she had pushed into the corner.

The room looked strange, none of the furniture really matched, but Harley had put it together herself and she adored it. Once her clothes were all put away carefully, and her makeup and hair products lined her vanity, Harley observed her work; it was wonderful.

Harley was interrupted in her observation of the room by Joker striding in. "How _quaint"_ He said, rolling his eyes at the room. "Get dressed up, Daddy's taking you to the club tonight" He ordered. Harley beamed and threw her arms around his neck "I'll dress up real pretty for you, Mister J" She said, pressing a kiss to his lips.

Joker disentangled himself from Harley, and smacked her behind as he laughed and left the room. Harley's behind stung slightly as she dashed to her clothing racks, looking for an appropriate outfit. Harley shed her clothes where she stood, changing into a racy black underwear set before pulling clothes from the rack.

Harley pulled on a tight red crop top, she loved the feeling of the silk against her skin. Harley hummed as she selected a pair of high-waisted black shorts that cut high up on her behind. Harley began picking through her new shoes, a beautiful pair of tall scarlet heels finished off the outfit. Harley jumped experimentally in her shoes, finding them easy enough to move in.

Harley's favourite part of getting ready was experimenting with different, bold makeup and hair styles. She had never allowed herself to dress up, when she had been Harleen. Harley sat at her vanity and curled her hair into lovely curls, she tugged at her white blonde hair, it needed more colour. Harley applied her makeup carefully, with bold red eye shadow lined by dramatic winged eyeliner, and black mascara. She painted her rosy lips a blood red, turning her pale face in the mirror, Harley decided it was perfect.

She would like to liven up her look, she decided, standing to twirl in front of the mirror. She wanted colour in her hair, and perhaps tattoos across her smooth skin. Thinking about this, Harley made her way to find Joker. He was seated in the lounge, reading a newspaper. He was dressed in his tight black pants, a long, open, shiny purple coat, and beautiful black dress shoes. He growled at Harley as he caught sight of her, standing with a smooth motion as he picked up an elegant red skull topped cane.

"You look _ravishing"_ Joker slurred slightly, leaning forward on his cane. Harley blew him a kiss, giggling as he again mimicked shooting it out of the air. "Are we going to the club now, Puddin'?" She asked, bouncing over to the elevator without waiting for an answer. Joker pressed his finger to the elevator scanner without answering, though he threw a shark toothed smile at her.

Joker chose a sleek dark green Ferrari to ride in this time, the interior was completely black leather, with purple accents. Harley preferred the Lamborghini, but this car was undeniably beautiful, she thought as she slid into the passenger seat without hesitation. The night was cool and foggy, as Joker and Harley drove towards Jokers club, a slight drizzle had started misting down upon the surprisingly busy streets, it must be a Friday she thought.

The club had a plain, dark brick exterior, Harley noticed as Joker pulled up in front of the club. A large, illuminated sign glowed brightly above the entrance, Harley stepped out of the car and tried to crane her neck to read it, but could only make out the word grin. Harley exited the car and bounced around to join Joker on the sidewalk.

Harley wrapped her arms around one of Joker's own, as he made his way to the entrance. Two enormous men stood at the door, with only a glance at Joker they opened the doors to the club "Glad you're back Mister Joker" One of then men said, his voice like gravel. Joker nodded once at the man before sweeping inside the club.

They entered to the dim lighting of the side of a large dance floor, dark tiled flooring was covered in the bodies of people dancing closely together to the beat of the thumping bass of music played by a masked DJ, which ran through Harley's body, putting a bounce in her step. The walls were golden, with golden chains hanging from the ceiling, alongside glass cages, some of which contained dancing men and woman. A dark wooden bar stood to the side, surrounded by swaying clubbers.

People parted for Joker like the red sea as he made his way past the dance floor, tugging Harley along with him. He walked to the back of the room, where a wide staircase was guarded by two more large guards, who unclipped a red velvet rope without a word, stepping aside to let Joker and Harley through.

The staircase led to a platform room, a level above the dance floor, with individual booths surrounded by golden chains overlooking the bar and dance floor below. A smaller bar sat to the side of the room with a well dressed man stood regally behind the bar. Joker walked to the center booth, he pulled aside the golden chains and waited for Harley to enter the booth before letting the gold chains swing shut.

The booth was divided by more golden chains, a pale gold 'C' shaped couch lined the area. Overhead hung a beautiful, twinkling chandelier, lighting the booth in a hazy glow. Harley spun around, before seating herself on the back of the couch. Joker sat lazily back on the couch beside Harley. Not a moment later, Frost and another man Harley didn't know entered the booth.

"Nice to see you back, Boss" The man Harley didn't know said, nodding his head at Joker. Joker ignored the man's words "Get me a whiskey, double. And whatever the lady wants" He said instead, winking exaggeratedly at Harley, who laughed. "Hi, Harley Quinn, nice to meet 'cha. I want a Pina Colada" Harley said cheerily, leaning to kiss Jokers cheek when he laughed loudly at her request.

Frost sat down stiffly across from Joker, and they began talking about business. Harley quickly grew bored of the conversation, and glanced around at the dance floor. "Puddin' can I go dance?" Harley asked sweetly, Joker rolled his eyes at the interruption, pinching her thigh slightly as he rested his hand on it "Dance in the glass cage, if I see anyone touching you, I'll cut their hands off" He replied, laughing loudly.

Harley bounced to her feet happily, she pressed a kiss to Jokers lips in thank you before hurrying out of the booth, she glanced around. The glass cages looked like they had to be lowered, well that was no fun, Harley thought. She moved to the edge of the raised floor and tested the chains hanging from the ceiling. Grasping tightly Harley swung herself up onto the chains, climbing up, Harley stopped level with one of the glass cages, pushing the door open she swung herself into the cage.

Harley closed the door behind her and looked around, below she could see the masses of writhing bodies, at the bar she could see a bartender brandishing a bat at a belligerent customer, beside her she could see Joker talking with Frost. She listened to the beat of the music for a moment, before letting go and dancing slowly. Harley twisted and grinded, her years of gymnastics giving her a natural talent to move smoothly, in an almost cat like fashion.

Harley was lost in her dancing, she vaguely noticed the eyes watching her as she caught the attention of the crowd. She didn't know how long she had been in the cage, as she teased the crowd below her with sensual dancing, when she heard a loud whistle. Joker motioned for her to come to him, a dark smile on his face revealing all of his silver teeth.

Harley complied quickly, swinging across the chains with ease to the upper floor. Harley skipped into Jokers both, sitting back on the top of the couch "You called Mister J? She asked, taking note of Frost and a lanky brunette man she had not seen before.

"Harley Quinn! This, uh, man here was just asking when he would get a _turn_ with you, so why don't you show him a good time, baby?" He asked, the dangerous glint in his eyes and accompanying grin informing Harley of how pissed off he was. Harley bounced over to the man, swinging her legs over his lap "You wanted to play with me?" She asked sweetly, her insides churning in excitement at the idea of what Joker would do to the man.

The man grinned, seemingly oblivious of Jokers anger. He placed a hand on Harleys thigh but removed it quickly at the sound of Jokers slow laugh. He looked nervous suddenly, but was cut off from talking by Joker "What, you don't like my Harlequin?" He asked, Harley pouted and pulled away, moving to Joker's side "How rude" Harley said.

"See, the _lovely_ lady is mine. I don't like people touching my things" He announced, raising a gun. The man looked terrified, and opened his mouth once more to speak, but was cut off by Joker unloading bullets into his head. Harley stepped forward and tugged the expensive silver watch from his wrist, displaying it proudly to Joker before slipping it onto her own wrist alongside the golden one she had taken before. Joker laughed loudly, pulling Harley into a kiss roughly before sitting back in his seat "Get rid of the body" He called to goons lingering around the area, who hurried to drag the man away.

Harley leaned to take her Pina Colada, which had been left on the small ledge behind the booth, and began downing it quickly. "Come play with me Puddin'" She said, abandoning her empty cup. "Don't be _needy,_ sugar. Daddy has important business to take care of" He dismissed, waving a hand at her. " _Please,_ Mister J. Just for a little while" She pouted. Joker rolled his eyes, sighing dramatically "You're being annoying, baby, go get a drink" He said, shoving Harley along the couch slightly.

Harley frowned, if he wasn't going to pay attention, she was going to make him. Harley strode out of the booth without a word, walking determinedly to the lower floor, where she jumped onto the bar, reached below the counter, and pulled out the baseball bat. Harley could feel eyes burning into her from Jokers booth as she exited the club into the drizzling night.

Harley studied Jokers car for a moment, before raising the bat and smashing out the closest window. She continued on smashing into the car, until she stopped to catch her breath. She was spun around abruptly, Jokers face an inch from her own, he clenched his hand around her throat and pulled her as close as he could.

Joker tightened his grip on Harley's throat, the choker necklace she wore imprinting onto her skin. Harley struggled to breathe as he brought his lips to her ear "Bad girl" He muttered before he pulled back and laughed loudly "You missed a spot baby" He rasped, motioning to the hood of his car. Harley followed his gesture with her eyes and picked up the bat, smashing in the hood thoroughly.

Harley and Joker began laughing maniacally, as Harley pulled Joker into a passionate kiss "Forgive me Puddin'?" She asked, beaming at him. Joker cackled "Do it again and I'll teach you a lesson you'll, uh, _never_ forget" He growled, before baring his silver teeth at her in a dangerous smile. Harley kissed his cheek happily as he pulled her back into the club, an arm slung possessively over her shoulder.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Author's Note: I started a new job today, so not a hugely important chapter now, but the next one will be filled with all that wonderful violence and mania that comes from Joker and Harley going on a date. Now I have written** **smut** **into the end of this chapter, I'll put a page marker where it starts and ends so you may skip it if you wish. Keep in mind I don't write a lot of smut, so it may not be good.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Nineteen.**_

Harley frowned at the news channel playing in Jokers apartment, the blue light of the television was the only thing illuminating the room, as the woman on the news droned on. "Furthermore, Harleen Quinzel, kidnapped victim of The Joker is known to still be in his clutches. Police have declined to comment, though have made past statements of their determination to retrieve Doctor Quinzel safely" Harley turned the television off.

It was time, she decided, to make it known that she was Harley Quinn, and she was definitely not a victim. Harley turned and walked determinedly down the hall, knocking on Joker's office, before entering the room quickly. Joker was sat behind his desk, sharpening a large knife, an ominous look in the dim room.

Harley perched herself in her usual seat on the edge of his desk "Mister J, the reporters are still saying I'm a kidnapped victim. I think we should do something to show them who Harley Quinn is" She said, sending a beaming smile to him.

"Let's put on a little _show"_ Joker sung in a slurred voice, before laughing wildly. " _Mmm,_ yes, I like it. I like it, I like it" He purred, his voice like velvet. "Well I have an idea Puddin, I think my dressing room could use a little _decorating"_ Harley grinned mischievously with her words.

Jokers shark toothed smiled beamed at her, his eyes sparking with a dark light "My Harlequin gets what she wants. _Yes,_ we will, uh, _join_ the party the gallery is throwing" He decided, a cackle filled with violence sent a thrill down Harleys spine. Harley clapped in her excitement "I'll call Scary Poppins to have her make us something special" She trilled.

"Daddy has to call his men, to make some _arrangements_ for our little date. Go call Eileen _"_ He dismissed, before motioning Harley forward with one finger. He pulled Harleys wrist abruptly as she leaned in, causing her to fall forward into his lap. She shrieked with laughter as the Joker cackled and kissed her deeply, then shoved her off the floor onto her feet.

Harley blew her usual kiss at Joker as she danced for the door, beaming as he mimicked shooting it from the air once again. Harley made her way to the kitchen where she made the call to Eileen. Harley only had to tell Eileen that she and Joker were going to a special event, before she told Harley that she would have clothing sent over the following day, and hung up without saying goodbye.

Harley spent the day with Joker, they plotted their _date,_ as they had come to call it, Harley had the idea to invite the reporter who had caused the idea in the first place; they needed their guest of honor after all. Harley only needed to suggest the idea to Joker, before he made a phone call and declared that she would be invited.

When Harley's part in the plan was complete, and Joker was busy in the garage discussing the plan with his goons, Harley decided it was time she spruced up her hair finally. The ends had split from the chemicals, and she desired more colour to her look.

Popping downstairs to tell Joker, he had ordered one of his goons to drive her around, before pressing a shining golden gun into her hand. Harley had kissed him feveriously, without regard for the audience provided by the goons, and slipped the gun into the inner pocket of her jacket. A beefy man with an extremely crooked nose opened the door to a blacked out SUV for Harley, before sitting in the driver's seat without a word. Harley took it upon herself to chat constantly, telling him where to go around her nonsensical stories. Harley enjoyed watching his reactions to the ridiculous words that poured from her mouth.

He pulled up out front of a high end beauty salon, where he again opened the door for Harley, and informed her that we would wait there for her. Harley skipped into the salon, the strict looking blonde woman at the front desk raised an eyebrow at her demeanour. The salon was exactly as a professional salon should be, brightly lit, gleaming white floors and walls, and a strong smell of perfumed hair products.

Harley flicked one of Joker's many credit cards onto the shining chrome front desk "I want my hair done now" She said, throwing a beaming grin at the woman, letting a little malice seep into her expression to ensure the woman would do as she was told. "Do you have an appointment?" The woman questioned, sounding thoroughly bored. Harley leaned across the front desk as far as she could, allowing her shiny red jacket to slip slightly, so that her beautiful golden gun was on display "Not yet" She sung.

The womans dull eyes widened almost comically as she took in the gun, she pressed her lips together tightly and nodded, her head shaking like a bobble head doll. "O-oh, yes, yes of course. S-something just opened up. Please, right this way" She stuttered, looking panicked. She stumbled from her seat in her tall heels and lead Harley to a nearby salon chair, whispering to a stylish blonde man frantically, throwing quick glances at Harley.

The man nodded, and walked up anxiously behind Harley. "H-Hi, I'm Nick. What can I do for you today Ma'am?" He asked, shaking in his nervousness. Harley laughed, which only seemed to increase his anxiety levels. "Harley Quinn, nice to meet 'cha" she announced cheerily. "I want a little… excitement!" She said, throwing her hands out dramatically.

Nick still looked terrified, though he had stopped shaking, which was a good thing. "Can you trim the ends for me, and add some colour to the bottom half, Nicky? Blue on one side, pink on the other" She said, swinging her legs up into a cross legged position on the sleek black chair, and leaning back. Nick didn't attempt to talk to Harley, so she told more of her insane stories laughing when his face gave away his thoughts of humour or fear. When Nick began applying the dye, Harley's thoughts drifted to the colours she had chosen; pink and blue, the colours that had seeped from Harley and Jokers clothes along the surface of the chemicals.

Lost in the swirling colours of her mind, Harley snapped back to attention as Nick finished washing the dye out of her hair. She began humming an eerie tune as Nick carefully dried her hair, touching her as little as possible. He looked incredibly anxious as Harley studied her hair in the mirror.

Her hair looked healthy, it was light, bouncy, and soft to the touch. The colouring in her hair was beautiful, like candy floss, she thought delightedly. Harley began clapping, bouncing in her seat slightly "I love it! Good job Nicky" She cried, beaming at him. His relief was palpable as he exhaled and thanked her, making a quick getaway.

Harley twirled to the front of the store, watching the colours of her hair blur in front of her face. Harley skidded to a stop at the reception desk, swinging herself up to perch on the edge, next to the still terrified receptionist. The receptionist handed the card to her with a shaking hand, before saying goodbye quickly. Harley would bet the woman hadn't even charged it, she thought, laughing as she left the salon.

Bounding to the car, Harley jumped in, startling the guard, who nodded at her and started the car without a word. Harley sung loudly as she was driven back to Jokers apartment, the only thing left for her to complete her desired look was to add some colour to her skin, in the form of tattoos.

Harley was vibrating with excitement by the time she was back home (home, finally home, a voice in her mind said) and she raced past the goons gathered on the couches in the corner. Harley was bouncing as she waited in the elevator. Stepping out into the lounge, Harley caught sight of Joker sitting elegantly on the expensive couch in his black pants and suspenders (yet without a shirt).

Harley hurried over to him, pouncing over the couch to straddle Joker "Puddin'! What do you think?" She squealed twisting her head to make the colours twirl. Joker grinned, he laughed shortly, reaching out and pulling at a strand of hair. " _Spectacular,_ baby" He slurred lowly, he threw his arms out to the side "Gimme a twirl, _Harlequin!"_ He sung. Harley stood and spun for him, giggling delightedly.

Joker growled and stood, pulling her close, he pressed a kiss to her head before lifting her and twirling her once again. Harley was dizzy with delight as Joker released her and sat back onto the couch. "Want to give me my first tattoo, Mister J?" She asked, sitting beside him and swinging her legs over his lap. He bared his teeth at her in a grin, running his tongue over his silver teeth.

"I'll turn you into my work of art" He declared, laughing loudly as he stood. "Wait right there babydoll, I'm going to get my supplies" He added, walking from the room with a hint of a swagger. He was back quickly, having set up a small tattoo machine, with the dyes arranged on the glass coffee table. He snapped on a pair of purple gloves, a flash of Joker pressing the ECT machine to her head appeared before her eyes; dragging a loud laugh from Harley.

He swiped a sanitising wipe over Harleys cheek, just under her eye, and turned on the machine. With the tattoo gun raised her leaned in "This may _hurt_ " He drawled, laughing loudly. Harley beamed at him "I can take it, Mister J" She said, mimicking her words from what felt like a lifetime ago.

The pain buzzed through her brain as Joker worked on a small tattoo on her cheekbone, though Harley never let her grin drop as she watched him work. He leaned back and examined his work "I can really see _love_ all over your face when you, uh, look at me" He rasped, his voice wrapped in velvet. He cackled at his joke and raised a hand held mirror out for Harley.

Harley gasped in delight, a red heart was printed on her upper cheek bone, it was beautiful. "I love it, Puddin'! Oh please, there are two more I want right now!" She blurted happily, running her finger along the mirrored image of the heart. Joker laughed, a sound like daggers wrapped in silk, dangerous and heavenly.

Harley described the tattoos to Joker who pushed Harley down and began working. They spent the rest of the day in a hazy world of their own, Harley felt alive with the combination of buzzing pain and Jokers laughs at her gasps, whines, and occasional giggles wrapping her in a blanket of pain and ecstasy. Joker seemed to delight in the mixed pain and pleasure he was giving Harley, and added a tattoo of his own design to her back, telling Harley it was a surprise.

Harley stood shakily once he was done, she dragged him into a kiss, before bounding to the bathroom to study her new artwork. Lining just above her underwear, in the delicate space between her hip bones, was a swirling tattoo that read 'Lucky You". Pulling her shirt off entirely, Harley studied the next tattoo, a wonderful calligraphy just below her collarbone close to her left shoulder read "Daddy's lil Monster". Finally Harley turned her back to the mirror, arching her head to read the elegant scrawl in the middle of her shoulder blades that Joker had decided to add. "Property of Joker" it read surrounding a shaded skull in a Harlequin hat. The Joker was a wonderful artist, his linework was smooth and elegant, swirling in elegant whirls along her skin. She couldn't be happier with the art.

Harley slipped hurriedly applied a tattoo cream to her new work and after applying clear bandages, ran from the bathroom, slipping on a silken robe as she went. She jumped at Joker where he stood in the lounge, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist as she peppered his face with kisses "I love them! Oh Puddin', they're _perfect!_ " She said, her voice jumping in joy. Joker laughed slowly, cupping his hands around her behind tightly "Going to show me how happy you are, baby?" He growled.

~0~0~0~

Harley laughed and bit at Joker's neck, earning a rumbling growl as he carried her to the bedroom they shared. Joker threw Harley down onto the large circular bed roughly as he hit the light switch, causing a hazy golden glow to settle upon the room. Joker stalked forward and joined Harley on the bed, shedding his pants as he walked. Harley stripped from her robe, throwing it to the side.

Joker groaned as he leaned forward and bit roughly along Harleys neck, licking along the imprints his teeth left. He moved down her body slowly, nipping at her skin and licking away the blood he drew. "You like it when it hurts, baby?" He questioned, running his nails along her thighs. "I like everything you give me Mister J" Harley breathed, clutching at the bedding beneath her fingers.

"You take your eyes off me and I stop" He muttered, as he ran a finger up Harleys center, she moaned at the contact "Please" She managed, Joker gave his shark toothed smile as he plunged two fingers into her, hooking them and dragging them out slowly, his eyes never leaving Harleys as she gasped and struggled to keep her heavy lids open.

Joker lowered his head and flicked his tongue over her clit, grinning at the noises Harley made when he began to pound his expert fingers into her, his tongue never ceasing its ministrations. Harley was a mess, almost coming undone with every movement. As Harley began to peak, he pulled away entirely, his hair ruffled as he sat up.

"Hands and knees" He ordered, his words slurring lowly in his desire, Harley hurried to comply, breathing quickly in anticipation. Joker wrapped a fist around Harley's hair and pulled it roughly, arching her neck back. She moaned again, feeling Joker's large erection press against her crotch. "You don't come until I say so, got that _baby?_ " He commanded, pressing at her entrance. "Anything you say, Mister J" Harley managed, attempting to press herself back upon his member.

"Ahh, ahh, ahh" Joker tutted, pulling back slightly "Bad girl" He said, before raising a hand and spanking it firmly across Harleys behind. Harley cried out as he repeated the action twice more before slamming himself into Harley without warning, causing Joker and Harley's moans and groans to fill the air.

Joker continued at a punishing pace, one hand still pulling Harleys hair back, as the other reached around to rub expertly at her clit. Harley let out loud moans as he grunted harshly behind her. He felt amazing, every stroke shot a jolt of electricity through her body. Harley lost all sense of time, focusing only on the sensation of Joker pounding inside her, his hand rubbing at pinching at her cilt. She called his name, begging him not to stop.

Without warning Joker flipped their position. He lay back and pulled Harley back on top of him "Ride" He growled breathlessly, his tight muscles bulging. Harley gasped and lowered herself back down onto his large cock slowly, throwing her head back at the sensation. She traced his tattoos with her nails, before resting her hands along the tattoo of his name on his stomach, and began bouncing steadily.

Joker breathed heavily below her, his eyes dark with lust, never leaving hers. He raised his hand and gripped her throat tightly, choking her with just enough room for her to gasp in breaths. "Please Mister J, I'm gonna come" She pleaded, never allowing her pace to falter "Did I say you could?" He rasped, thrusting up suddenly. He began thrusting wildly, his pace never allowing Harley to grasp onto a steady rhythm, making her a mess above him; panting and gasping his name.

"Please Puddin', please" She pleaded again, running her nails harshly down Joker's chest, earning a growl. "Beg Daddy J for it, Harley" He ordered, never letting up on his intoxicating pace, his hand still clenched tightly around her throat. He brought his other hand to her clit once again, rubbing random patterns, causing an increase in Harley's desperate cries.

"Please Mister J, please. It's so good, I need to…" She begged, her words spilling out nonsensically. Joker grinned "Come for Daddy" He said again, his voice gravelly and low. He grunted and tightened his grip on her throat as Harley threw her head back, she called his name loudly, as she clenched around him. She spasmed slightly and collapsed on top of him, gasping for air.

Harley moaned again as she pulled off him, twitching as his still rock hard erection left her. "Show me what that pretty mouth can do, _Harlequin_ " He ordered, watching as Harley slid down his body. She stared him in the eyes as she ran her tongue up his length, swirling her tongue around his tip, she tasted herself on him. He groaned and gripped her head, pushing down.

Harley took him into her mouth, bobbing up and down slowly before she relaxed her throat and took him all in. She was rewarded by a lengthy groan, as Joker growled her name and fisted her hair. He began pushing her head rapidly, guiding her head as she sucked, swallowed, and swirled her tongue. His groans increased quickly as pushed her head down as far as he could, Harley moaned around his cock, the vibrations increasing the groans Joker emitted as he came heavily down her throat. Harley swallowed quickly, licking the Joker thoroughly she pulled herself up and collapsed beside him.

~0~0~0~

Harley panted as she rested her head on Jokers bare chest, her body slick with sweat. Joker inhaled deeply, exhaling heavily over Harleys neck. He pulled a pair of cigarettes from his bedside drawer, and placed one between his lips. Harley took one of her own, lighting it, and Jokers, before laying back and exhaling the smoke slowly. She began laughing, Joker soon joining her with his own manic laugh as they lay naked in bed, smoking slowly as bruises and thin trails of blood covered their bodies in twin expressions of their love.


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Author's Note: So because of my new job, I may post a bit slower, but will still have a chapter up at least every few of days. Also I write most of the time in the middle of the night because I'm a big insomniac so I blame anything that doesn't make sense on that, as I also haven't had a chance to edit this properly. Big thank you to 'happyfan3928' for commenting on every chapter, it means a lot, same to all of you who have supported this story. Next chapter will be an interesting one I think, more what Harley likes to do (other than Joker) and some show of the ways Joker shows his (love?, trust?) for Harley will be in it. Enjoy! Sorry about the wait.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Twenty.**_

Harley was almost bouncing off the walls by the time Eileen arrived the next afternoon, she had tried to distract herself with working out in Jokers gym, which occupied the sublevel, but had been far too excited about the night's events. She had suppressed her feelings and desires for so long, it felt amazing to let them burst out in whatever form that happened to be at the time.

Harley had thrown her arms around Eileen the moment the elevator doors had opened and she was revealed, a stern looking Frost stood beside Eileen. Harley didn't think she had really ever seen his face move, which was strange for a person who worked for a man such as Joker. He always came through though, and Harley had a great time trying to shock the man.

Eileen carried two large black garment bags easily, even with her frail appearance. Frost carried two shoe boxes in his thick arms, a strange look for the man. He placed the boxes down on the couch as quickly as possible, as though they had been burning his arms. Eileen disentangled herself from Harley quickly, looking tremendously disgruntled.

Joker laughed from his seated position at the display "Show me what you have for us, Eileen" He commanded, though there was not as much of the usual underlying dangerous tone to his voice when he spoke to her. Eileen nodded, a woman of few words as ever, and draped one of the garment bags over the back of a chair, before moving to unzip the one she still held.

Inside the bag was a spectacular suit; a metallic silver suit jacket with black lapels was paired with a matching tie, and a deep red button up shirt, along with his usual slim, black pants. Eileen put the garment bag containing the suit back down onto the back of the chair, and stepped forward to open the top shoe box. The shoe box contained a shiny pair of black Italian leather dress shoes, with what appeared to be hand stitched silver thread lining the leather, completed with silver tipped aglets on the shoe laces.

Joker leaned forward, studying the outfit for a moment, before clapping slowly, his shark toothed smile in place "Magnifique! You never do let me down, _Leeny"_ His voice appeared delighted, but dark venom of the threat of what would happen if Eileen ever did fail him tainted his voice. Eileen had remained stoic since she had appeared, and though her face remained impassive, Harley saw her shoulders relax slightly once Joker had declared his approval.

There was a moment of silence before Harley broke in "Oh please can I see my outfit now!" She insisted. Joker laughed as Eileen reached over and pulled forward the second garment bag, she unzipped it in a fluid motion, holding it out for Harley to inspect.

Inside was an amazing garment, it was a floor length, deep red dress that shined in the bright lights of the lounge, giving an appearance almost like fire. The front and back of the dress dipped low, accompanied by a thigh high slit up the left side. The amount of skin showing would serve three purposes; she would draw the eyes of all who were in the room, which was an excellent distraction should she need it, she would be able to move freely, without material around any of her joints restricting movement, and lastly, she would look _great_ in this dress, which was for her own enjoyment (as well as Jokers).

Harley began clapping "I love it! It's going to look wonderful" She sung happily, before moving forward and opening the shoebox herself. The heels were tall, black, and glorious with sparkling red gems along the lower edge of the shoe. They had a closed toe, with a thin ankle strap, and pencil thin, sharp heels. Harley tested the heels with her palm, they were unusually strong, exactly as Harley had requested. She may be crazy, but she wasn't stupid, the high heeled shoe was a weapon no one considered.

Harley again threw her arms around Eileen "Scary Poppins you're the best!" She exclaimed. Joker laughed "I'm sure it will be, uh, _unforgettable_ " He slurred, patting his knee in a motion for Harley to sit down on his lap, to which she happily complied. "Frost take Eileen down to the garage, have one of the boys take her home. Make sure they're all _dressed_ for the occasion tonight" He commanded, mindlessly tugging at Harleys hair.

Harley leaned back against Joker and reveled in the bliss she felt at being close to him, she _knew_ he felt the same, even if he would never say it in so many words. Joker and Harley discussed the plan for the evening, the warm afternoon sunlight bathing the room in a golden glow. Joker pushed Harley off of his lap onto the couch suddenly, before Harley could ask why, he reached underneath the couch and produced a large, wrapped, oddly shaped package.

Harley beamed "You got me a present, Puddin'?" She gasped. Joker sent one of his chilling smiles to Harley, it froze most in place with fear, but it warmed Harley at every glance. "I designed it myself. Open it, open it, open it" He chanted lowly, handing the package to her.

Harley ripped open the packaging, taking a moment to laugh at the Batman wrapping paper. Inside lay a heavy bat, it was covered in writing and drawings, most prominent being the words 'Good Night' written along its length. Harley stood and gave it a practice swing through the air, before tapping it against her palm, it didn't feel like pure wood, she thought.

Harley gave a shriek of excitement and jumped onto Joker, kissing him vigorously. "I love it! What's it made out of J? It feels too heavy to be just wood" She questioned, running her fingers over the bat. "It has a vanadium steel centre, the wood is more of a cover, so they won't expect it when you _crack their skulls open_ " He answered, the poison back in his velvety voice.

"Wow, It's perfect, thank you Mister J" Harley purred, considering the metal alloys strength, it would be fun to test. "Go get ready Harls', being late would be _rude"_ Joker said, patting Harleys behind as she jumped up, she swung the bat over her shoulder, before grabbing her new dress and shoes and making her way to her dressing room, laughing loudly.

Harley hung her dress carefully before seating herself at the vanity, the golden lighting of the room, giving her an ethereal glow. Carefully she applied her makeup, translucent powder (it was difficult to find skin products pale enough for her skin tone), exaggerated red and black smokey eyes with large winged eyeliner, thick mascara, a shining highlighter to her cheekbones, and a scarlet lipstick completed her rather outlandish look.

Harley ran her fingers through the blue and pink locks of her hair, she wanted to tie her hair up into pigtails, but decided against it; she was going to look _fancy_ tonight. She curled her hair into loose ringlets, and teased it out around her face, applying liberal amounts of hairspray to hold the hair do. Harley twisted her face back and forth in the mirror, studying her look. She beamed at herself in the mirror, perfect.

The dress ran silkily through Harleys fingers as she pulled it from the garment bag. She slipped it on over her deep pink undergarments, and held the dress in place with an arm, as she put her flexibility to good use in zipping up the dress. Harley slipped a garter style thigh holster up her leg, where she stashed one of her gleaming golden guns, before stepping into her new high heels and fastening the ankle strap. A spritz of sweet floral perfume, and Harley was done.

Picking up her bat and swinging it over her shoulder, Harley walked with a flourish towards the lounge, where she could hear Joker and Frosts voices echoing from. As Harley entered the room she captured the attention of the two men in the room. Joker gave a loud whistle "Give us a twirl, baby!" He called. Harley complied, throwing her arms out in a dramatic presentation of herself.

Joker opened his arms, as Harley stepped forward and kissed Joker briefly "You look so handsome" She cheered, studying him. He cut an equally intimidating and handsome form in his perfectly tailored suit, flashes of guns in their holsters glinted from under his suit jacket. He held his usual tall dark red cane, the silver skull head top gleaming brightly. Joker caught sight of the small golden 'Joker' necklace Harley had put on, having had it made for her earlier. " _Mmm,_ I like it" He growled, nipping at her neck briefly.

Joker led Harley and Frost to the elevator, as Harley practiced swinging with her bat, getting used to the weight of her new weapon. The garage held about fifteen of Joker's goons, all dressed in a strange array of masks and costumes; including clowns, bears, and even Batman masks. Harley's favourite outfit was the man in a full body panda suit.

Joker began ordering the men into two large white, windowless vans, which seemed to have originally had 'Laughter is the best medicine' Printed along the sides, but a roughly painted red 'S' had been painted in front of Laughter. "Slaughter is the best medicine" Harley read aloud, laughing as the men gathered their massive guns and loaded into the vans.

Joker lead Harley to his favourite sleek purple car, where she hoped into the passenger seat quickly. "Alright boys, let's go join the _party_!" He called, earning cheers from the men, as he eased into the driver's seat and peeled out of the garage. Harley looked over to Joker, the cool night air breezing through the car as Joker laughed, speeding through the dark streets.

Joker pulled to a halt down the dark side of the large Gallery building, it was an impressive construction of glass and steel, gleaming brightly in the inky night air from the bright lights within. Harley stood out of the car and swept around next to Joker, hooking her arm in the crook of his. In front of them, the two vans of goons pulled to a halt, the men piling out, weapons in hand.

Joker moved powerfully through the group, who moved out of the way of the pair without a word, one of the men held out a large gun for Joker to take as they walked past. The goons held back slightly as they moved silently behind Joker and Harley. Joker grinned at Harley before he pulled her forward into the lights of the Gallery. "It looks like we're a little late, Mister J" Harley said, as they moved to the entrance, glancing around at the elegantly dressed people milling around drinking champagne and making uncomfortable small talk.

"All the better for our entrance, _Harls_ " Joker teased. Joker stepped into the grand hall and raised his gun, shooting the first security guards he laid eyes upon. Screams filled the air as Joker laughed with Harley, moving her forward into the front of the room as the goons filled the room, locking the doors behind them, and arranging themselves to block all the entrances and exits.

"Now everybody _sit_ " Joker called over the screaming, when there was a moment of hesitation Joker raised his gun and began shooting into the panicked crowd, watching as bodies fell to the ground lifelessly. "I said sit!" He yelled, the crowd dropped to crowd, looking strange sitting on the floor in their elegant attire. "Good dog" Joker laughed maniacally.

"How _rude,_ I haven't introduced my new, uh, _lady._ The one and only _Harlequin!_ " He announced in a sing-song voice, his words echoing around the polished white marble of the halls walls. Harley held her arms to the sides and bowed with a flourish. Harley beamed around at the crowd, looking as though she had been awarded a trophy of some sort.

"Harley Quinn, nice to meet 'cha" Harley called happily, swinging her bat over her shoulder. "See I actually organised our little date to this _shindig_ because someone has been bad" Harley continued, scanning the crowd, her smile never faltering. "Reporter Angela Marks, come on down!" Harley called liked a game show host. When the woman did not stand, Harley bent down at the waist, slowly running her hand up the leg exposed by the slit. Reaching the top of her thigh, Harley whipped out the gun in it's holster their and shot a Gallery curator in a fluid motion.

Cries and screams ran through the crowd as Joker laughed "I'd do as she says, if she wasn't so _crazy_ I'd say she's _insane_ " Joker called, continuing his cackling laughter. A stern looking woman rose from the crowd, dressed in a sensible black dress with her dark brown hair pulled back loosely, she was a boring figure. "I-I'm Angela Marks" She said, trying to hold back the tremors of fear she felt, she picked carefully through the crowd, and moved to stand where Harley indicated at the front of the room.

"See, Angie, you told some lies about me. That can't go unpunished" Harley sung, moving forward to bare her teeth at the woman in an imitation of Jokers grin. "Please, Harleen, I know Joker is making you do this. The man is evil, you don't have to do this" Angela pleaded. Harley stopped smiling and swung her bat viciously at Angela's side, sending the woman screaming to the ground.

"My name is Harley Quinn, and no one messes with my Mister J!" Harley ground out, punctuating every word with a swing of her bat to Angela's head and body. Breathing heavily, Harley examined her work. What had been Angela was now little more than an unidentifiable mess of a body. Blood and brain matter pooled along the golden tiles as Harley lent down to wipe her bat off along the bottom of what had been Angela's dress, making little difference as it was as equally covered in the bloody pulp as the rest of her.

Joker's laugh called to her as she joined him with her own laughter, sounding more insane than ever, but feeling _freer_ than she could ever remember having been before. Crying, screaming, and vomiting noises filled the air. As Harley leaned down and tugged the thin, bloody, silver watch from Angela's body. "Now to stop any _troublemakers_ , my boys are going to distribute some presents to the crowd. You let go of those and we'll all go _Kaboom!_ " Joker called, watching as the masked men spread through the crowd, pressing what appeared to be unpinned grenades into the hands of people, seemingly at random.

Once the sobbing crowd was occupied with keeping the grenades from exploding, Joker motioned to his men to take the prearranged works of art that Harley had decided upon, dousing the rest in gasoline. Joker turned to a man in a tuxedo who sat beside a large grand piano looking terrified "Play something, this place is _dead_ " He called, laughing at his joke. The shaking man, sat at the piano quickly, and began playing a beautiful tune.

"Tchaikovsky, Waltz of the Flowers" Harley recognised, turning to Joker, who held his arms out with a flourish. Harley beamed and stepped into his arms. As the goons gathered the artwork, and splashed gasoline around the room, and the crowd sobbed in terror on the floor, Joker lead Harley in a manic dance around the room, holding her closely and spinning her at random intervals. The pair laughed wildly as they danced in the midst of the chaos.

Once the song came to a close, and the men had finished with their work, Joker and Harley exited the building, with a call to the room to not move a muscle. Joker and Harley exited into the cool night air with a thrill. The men hurried to load the vans and leave, Frost having taken the time to pull Jokers car around front. As Joker and Harley were about to slip into the car, a dark figure dropped down from above.

"Batsy! You're late to the party!" Joker called in delight, as the menacing figure stood ahead of them. "Stand down Joker. Harleen Quinzel, step away from Joker" He said, his low voice as rough as the gravelled ground below their feet. Harley rolled her eyes, swinging her bloody bat over her shoulder "It's Harley Quinn, nice to meet 'cha" She trilled.

"Ahh, ahh, ahh" Joker cut in "You don't get to talk to my Harlequin" He scolded, menace seeping into his tone. Batman threw out an arm quickly, flinging what appeared to be a batarang at Joker, Joker side steeped with an eerie ease, though the blade cut deeply into his forearm. Joker laughed, though before Batman could make a move, Harley pulled the small lighter carefully stowed in her cleavage, and lit it audibly.

"I don't like anyone touching my Puddin'" Harley called, beaming smile back in place, as she moved the lighter to dangle over the trail of gasoline that lead into the Gallery. Batman stopped in his place, while Joker continued to laugh loudly at the scene playing in front of him, content for the most part of the night to see what Harley would do. "See the _lovely_ crowd in there are holding some explosive gifts. If the room were to say, _light up,_ I think they might make some fireworks" Harley announced, dangling her lit lighter teasingly over the gasoline trail.

"Hand over the lighter Harley" Batman growled. Harley pretended to think for a moment, swinging her bat mindlessly. "See the trick is that those little grenades don't go off when they let go, they're on _timers_ " Harley revealed laughing along with Joker "Ain't my Puddin' so smart, making those?" Harley added, blowing a kiss to Joker.

"Tick tock, Batsy. You can _try_ and stop me, or you can try and save all those people from the fire, when the bombs go off in, oh, sixty seconds" Joker rasped, glancing at his beautiful watch. Batman let out a slight growl as he moved to run into the building. Harley dropped the lighter as he entered "Oops!" She called, watching the fire trail slowly inside the building.

Harley and Joker entered the car and sped off before seeing what the outcome would be, they would let Batman have his attempt at a _heroic_ moment. Joker pulled Harley to his side, as they sped into the night, and kissed her roughly. The blood spattered faintly across her face smearing across his as they laughed.


	21. Chapter Twenty One

**Author's Note: Only a short chapter sorry, it's kind of a filler, but there are some important shows of Joker and Harley's relationship in here. If there are any questions about anything (or comments that you actually want me to answer) just mention it, and I'll add it in with a chapter (since I refuse to post if there is not a chapter for you all, I know how annoying that can be).**

* * *

 _ **C hapter Twenty One.**_

It was late when Joker and Harley pulled back into the garage. The goons had already arrived and had unloaded the artwork under Frosts direction, Frost himself had brought the works up to Jokers apartment, as he was one of the three people allowed access. Jokers face was stern as he exited his car, Harley following quickly.

One of the the goons looked up from the plethora of drugs and alcohol in the corner of the room and stood "Boss your arm is all cut up, I can stitch-" The man was cut off by Joker pulling a glinting blade from his jacket and stabbing the man in the throat, Joker withdrew the knife with a sickening _shlick_ sound and pierced it through the man's eye. The goon dropped to the ground, a sickening gurgling sound escaping the man's gushing throat.

It was silent for a moment before Joker rolled his eyes "Oh would you look at that, such a mess. Well an eye for an eye, and, uh, all that" He said, laughing loudly, the goons did not look bothered by the gruesome murder, two of the men began dragging away the body , as the rest returned to their vices. Frost studied Joker for a moment, though did not say anything. Joker rolled his eyes "Harleys done it before, she'll do it. Anyone else suggests touching me I'll cut off your fingers and feed them to you" Joker added, laughing loudly, cold mania in his tone.

Harley glanced at Jokers arm as they walked into the elevator, it was still bleeding steadily, though it had slowed some. The cut looked quite deep, it would need stitches she thought, anger raging through her suddenly at the thought of anyone harming Joker. Once the gleaming elevators had slid open to the lounge, Harley pulled at Joker slightly leading him to the couch.

"Puddin'? I'm going to stitch that up for you" Harley stated, a faint cautiousness in the back of her brain at what Joker had done to the goon for just pointing out his injury. Joker studied Harley for a moment "Looking after your Mister J again?" He laughed, a hint of a sneer in his tone "The kit is in the bathroom, under the sink" He complied, after a moment of silence.

Harley hurried off to collect the kit, a large black bag with much more extensive, and some probably illegal, medical supplies than any other she had seen. Harley made her way back to Joker quickly and kneeled beside him. She rummaged through the bag and found an abundant supply of lollipops amongst the kit. Harley snapped on a pair of gloves, telling Joker to take off his shirt and jacket as she knew he would not respond kindly to her attempting to help him.

Harley wiped at the wound, and sprayed an antiseptic formula on his wound once he had removed the clothing from his upper body. Harley hummed as she pressed a clean syringe into a jar of a local anesthetic solution. Harley injected Joker quickly, to lessen the pain, and began threading a needle. Harley sewed with nimble fingers, creating neat, small stitches. When she was finally done she bent and kissed the stitches audibly, and bandaged his arm as Joker laughed.

Discarding the used supplies, Harley picked up a green lollipop from the medical supply kit and sat herself on Jokers lap, "For being a good boy" She winked as she handed the lollipop to Joker, who took it and popped it in his mouth, cackling all the while " _Mmm_ you know you like your Mister J _bad_ " He slurred roughly. Harley winked and pressed her lips to his firmly around the lollipop, the taste of apple tinging their kiss.

"I have a nurses outfit somewhere, go to bed and I'll put it on" Harley purred, she knew better than to order him around, teasing and subtle manipulation worked much better. Joker flashed his silver toothed smiled at Harley and chased her to their bedroom with a growl.

~0~0~0~

The next night lead Harley and Joker to Joker's club, his usual business deals were interesting, as word seemed to have spread about 'Joker's Queen' and the fate that would accompany anyone who disrespected her. Harley spent her time for the first part of the night dancing in the glass boxes suspended over the ceiling, sometimes she would leave the case to swing her body through the golden chains as though it was water, attracting attention and gasps from her antics.

Harley's eyes were drawn to the bar, a tall man with flawless make up looked bored behind the bar, as he mixed vodka tonics and jack and cokes. A snap decision had Harley twirling to the dance floor below and dancing through the thrumming crowd of drunken clubbers. Harley was soon hopping over the bar, where she then perched herself on the edge of the bar. The man raised a perfect dark eyebrow at her, a stark contrast to his bleached hair, even with the dark roots growing through, this was Harleys kind of person.

"Harley Quinn, nice to meet 'cha" She chirped, ignoring the customers behind her, the small silver playsuit she was wearing, accompanied by her favourite pigtails, her 'Puddin' choker, and her seat on the bar, were bound to draw attention. "I'm Blue" He responded, as he mixed a pink concoction with only quick glances at what he was doing. "Well there's no need to be blue anymore, I'm here!" Harley sung, laughing at her own joke.

Blue snorted and handed Harley the drink without a word. Harley took a long sip "I want to make drinks, will you show me how Boo?" Harley asked, her new found desire to bartend taking hold "You're Harlequin, I'm not going to say no. But really? 'Boo'?" Blue responded snappily, though there was a smirk in place on his face.

Harley clapped "Everyone needs a nickname Boo. Yay!" She cheered, hopping down from the bar and saluting Blue "What first?" She asked. The night was spent with Blue showing Harley how to make any number of cocktails and drinks, and Harley in turn making whatever drink she felt like for the customers, completely ignoring what they ordered.

Blue was a funny man, most of his comments held a hint of snap to them, but he had a dark sense of humour and did not seem to be scared of Harley, so she had dubbed him her new friend (to which he had snorted and informed her that as long as she entertained him at work he would keep her around). Harley had a wonderful time behind the bar, she had pulled her gun a couple times (it was a beautiful rose gold thing that Joker had gifted her earlier) when drunken bar goers had made a comment she didn't like, but had spent most of her efforts on making new cocktails.

Harley spared a glance up at Jokers booth occasionally, he was talking to some drug dealing mobster. The mobster was accompanied by hookers, who surrounded him like a sleazy fog, though one seemed to be trying to get the attention of Joker. Harley frowned at the display, Joker was ignoring the woman's desperate attempts at flashing her legs and chest, but it did not make Harley happy. "Well now, we can't have that" Harley said aloud, leaping over the bar and striding up the stairs into the VIP area.

Harley grabbed her bat from against the wall, where she had left a guard in charge of it, and swung it over her shoulder as she walked confidently into the booth. The attention on all in the booth flickered to Harley as she beamed, before lifting her bat and swinging it at the desperate womans head. Harley hit the woman three more times, until the screaming woman fell silent and slid off of the couch onto the floor. "I don't share" Harley stated, before blowing a kiss to Joker, who mimicked shooting it out of the air while he laughed loudly.

The mobster looked startled, though he had not moved from his seat, while the women around him appeared terrified and scooted as far away from Harley and Joker as possible. "The one and only Harlequin!" Joker called before dropping his voice to a mock growling whisper "She gets jealous". Joker laughed once more, as Harley grinned and perched herself on his lap "She looked like she wanted to play, she just didn't get to choose who with" Harley said, twirling her pink hair around her slim fingers.

Joker flashed his silver teeth at this, as two men came into the booth and removed the woman's body. The mobster had not spoken as Joker and Harley had interacted, his scarred face pulled back in a carefully stoic expression "She was a good worker" The man said eventually, before throwing his hands out in an 'oh well' motion, clearly pushing back his anger in fear of Jokers retaliation.

"Go make daddy a drink, Harley. Something _sweet_ " Joker said, shoving Harley smoothly off of his lap. Harley nodded quickly, excited that Joker had noticed that she had been behind the bar, and hurried back to Blue behind the bar. Harley ignored the look that Blue sent her while she mixed an impressive blue concoction, she made it extra strong and extra sweet for Joker. "Did you really need to beat the hussie to death?" Blue questioned, interrupting Harleys humming as she decided on a straw.

Blue had clearly seen a lot while working in Jokers club, it was common knowledge that you would see horrible things while working here, but the pay was good and the shifts were decent. Harley laughed "I don't share" She repeated. Taking an experimental sip of the drink she had made, it was perfect, strong enough to knock a lightweight on their ass. Blue snorted as he turned back to his work, and Harley made her way carefully back to Joker.

Harley didn't feel too much of a buzz when she drank, she thought it was to do with the chemicals she had jumped into. Along with providing a resistance to most toxins, and her freedom to express her sparkling (and psychotic) personality, Harley suspected it weakened the effect of drugs; such as alcohol. Harley seated herself happily beside Joker and presented the drink to him. He rolled his eyes at the huge blue drink, but took a sip. He raised a hairless eyebrow and nodded, letting out a laugh. Harley beamed and took another sip at the drink, twirling the straw around her lips and tongue seductively.

Joker motioned for the mobster to leave, he complied quickly with his hookers following him like strung out ducklings. Joker took the drink from Harley's hands and took a long sip, before placing it on the ledge. He flashed his teeth at her in a deadly grin, running his tongue along his silver smile, and gripped a hand around her throat firmly.

Harley gasped for air slightly, but made no move to remove his bruising grip. "Try not to, uh, interrupt my meetings. As _beautiful_ as you beating brains in, or should I say _out,_ is, it's _distracting_ " He growled, his voice as velvety as ever. Harley nodded, beaming at him as he dropped his hand. He might be a mad man, but he was her mad man. "You know you love it, Mister J" Harley answered, moving to straddle him. Joker laughed loudly as he nipped at Harleys lips, earning a round of dizzying laughter from Harley; the crazy pair back in their own twisted, intoxicating world.


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

**Author's Note: Okay, so I'm thinking I want to start on the part where Harley is taken soon (not this chapter). I'll cover the jail parts between her capture and Suicide Squad, because there a couple interesting things I want to address there. So do let me know if you want more or less of this Harley and Joker madness before Suicide Squad starts, otherwise it may be in the next couple chapters. I apologise for the wait, I'm a bit unsure of this chapter, I'm not sure how the characterisation was.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Twenty Two.**_

The months twisted and blurred into a year before Harley knew it. Harley considered this as she lay in bed beside Joker. Their bodies were tangled in the silk sheets, the hazy morning light casting shadows over their naked bodies. Harley trailed her fingers along Jokers tattoos as he lay with his eyes closed, he slept very little, but he slept more with Harley beside him, someone who would defend him should it be necessary while he slept seemed to ease his mind slightly, not that either would say it aloud.

"Puddin'" Harley rasped, her voice gravelly with sleep "We should do something special for the year anniversary of our start" She stated. Rolling onto her side, propping her head up on her hand. Joker opened his eyes slowly " _Mmm_ yes. We should _celebrate_ " He growled, running his pale hand through his mint green hair. Harley pressed her head onto Jokers bare chest, moving to lay almost sideways, her feet hanging just barely off the side of the bed.

"I think we should have some fun. I want to cause some _chaos_ , no business just thrills" Harley decided, saying as much aloud. Joker laughed "All work and no play makes Joker a dull boy. Okay, what baby wants, baby gets" he sung in a slurred tune. Harley rolled to press kisses along Jokers tattoos, as Joker laughed madly.

Harley spent her free time that day in the gym, she had put a lot of work into using her gymnastics in both offensive and defensive situations, and Joker himself had taught her extensively about the vast range of weapons he had, and how to use them. At random points, Joker would test Harleys abilities by sparring with her himself, it often resulted in Harley bruised and battered, but the fights were thrilling. Joker would help Harley patch herself up if she needed.

A show of the trust between them, Harley considered as she sharpened her pink throwing knives, was that they only allowed each other to patch themselves up. Joker had kept a man under the club, in what Harley called his torture chamber, for a week before ending him when he had attempted to wipe a wound Joker had with a sanitising wipe. It had been interesting to see Joker cauterise the stubs where the man's fingers had once resided, though the smell was awful. Harley had sprayed her floral perfume around the room helpfully.

Joker had spent most of his day ordering his goons around, and organising supplies for the night. His genius may be primarily focused on what most considered 'evil' but it was undeniable. Harley was bouncing in excitement as she pulled her hair into pigtails, her eye makeup as beautifully dramatic as always, one eyelid red and the black to match her Harlequin suit. The suit was amazing, exactly as she had discussed with Eileen.

Harley put her suit on whenever she felt the need, her suit had seen her biggest events with Joker. She truly was The Harlequin when she put it on. Harley walked out to the lounge in her underwear as she had finished her hair and makeup. The lounge was lit brightly against the night sky, illuminating the display case that held her suit. Harley hummed as she reached to the back of the case and pressed in the pincode, before pulling her suit from the display model.

Harley pulled her suit on where she stood, shimmying into the tightly fitted material. Harley stretched in the suit, twisting her body to get used to the material. She then made her way back to her dressing room to slip into a pair of deadly black heeled ankle boots. Standing to examine herself once more in the mirror at her vanity, Harley popped a piece of her usual strawberry gum into her mouth and nodded in approval.

Making her way to Joker's office, she knocked before entering the dimly lit room. Joker stood by one of his many weapons racks as he collected various tools, he was dressed in a dashing deep purple suit, his elaborate cane leaning against a rack near him. Harley moved to stand beside him, kissing the side of his neck loudly to announce herself. Joker laughed "All dressed up for our _date_?" He asked. Harley beamed as she moved to collect her own weapons, definable from Jokers by the lack of any black or grey colouring.

"I'm excited, I want to play" Harley responded, pushing a pair of golden knives into either boot. Joker grinned at Harley, his teeth glinting even in the dim lighting, as he threw a pearl handled pink revolver to her. Harley kissed it before slipping it into a thigh holster. Once the pair were equipped with their usual weapons, and Joker had called Frosts cellphone to tell him to start loading up the trucks, they made their way down to the garage.

Joker's men were nowhere to be seen, Joker had sent them all out to their tasks, having wanted them to set things up ahead of time, but to stay out of the way for the majority of the evening. Harley was excited as she slipt into Jokers deep green Ferrari, the evening would be spectacular for the twisted couple, and would certainly be memorable for everyone else.

Joker sped in his usual manner through the clear dark night to 'Taste of Italiano', an expensive restaurant in the outskirts of the city. "I was thinking Italian, I had the place, uh, reserved" Joker said, screeching to a twisting halt in front of the restaurant. "I love Italian" Harley replied, playing along with their date night theme as she stepped from the car.

Joker took Harley's hand smoothly as he lead her to the doors. One of Joker's men stood outside the front doors, dressed in a panda suit and heavily armed, he opened the doors silently. The restaurant was elegant, beautiful white walls decorated lightly with various paintings and vases, the golden floors led to small white clothed round tables. The room was warmly lit, with flickering candles at each table casting shadows on the walls that seemed to dance in time to the soft Italian music playing.

Joker lead Harley to a table where he pulled a seat out for her in an exaggerated manner, before seating himself and whistling loudly. Two of Jokers masked goons lead two trembling middle aged men dressed in white chef's outfits to the table. "Ah seen to personally by the _cook_ s how wonderful" Joker announced, throwing his hands out.

"Please let me go, I haven't done-" The trembling plump, bald chef began before being cut of by Joker tutting "Ahh, ahh, ahh. Lying isn't good, do it again and I'll cut your tongue out" he rasped, waving a gloved finger at the man. "Now I know some _dirty little secrets_ about you two. Would you like to share with the class?" Joker continued.

The men remained silent. The other chef, a thin brunette man opened and closed his mouth, though made no sound. "No? How about I start then" Joker said finally, as Harley made herself comfortable in her chair. "We have chef number one, _Dave_. Now Dave, why don't you tell us all about how you tried to pay off your gambling debt in one of my _esteemed_ clubs" Joker said. Dave turned pale at Joker's words, shaking his head frantically.

Harley pouted "I don't think he wants to share, Puddin'" she said. Joker sighed dramatically "I have to do all the work" He said, rolling his eyes. "Now Dave, you have been a bad boy, something I would encourage normally, but not so much when you owed me money. So you decided the best bet was to use the life insurance money from the _tragic_ death of your wife and daughter" He announced, moving his hands cuttingly through the air.

"Ooh poor little Dave. But that wasn't a _tragic_ accident, was it Davey?" Harley continued, moving to sit cross legged in her seat. All the colour had drained from Dave's face as he trembled like a leaf. He shook his head frantically "No, no, I didn't do it. I didn't mean to" He rambled. "Liars are bad boys, Davey" Harley sung. "Finish the story for Daddy, Harls" Joker said, draping himself backwards in his sturdy wooden chair.

"See, James" Harley turned to address the other chef, who was a pale green colour "Dave here swapped a gas pipe in his house, the clever boy swapped it out for a pipe that leaked dreadfully. Then he left his little wife and daughter to die while he drank at the bar, isn't that right Davey?" Harley continued. Dave sobbed loudly, though his pudgy face remained dry of tears, he did not respond.

Joker tutted "But James don't look so horrified, why don't we share with the class what _you_ have done next?" Joker grinned widely. "Harley, baby, why don't you go on, I love it when you talk _dirty_ " Joker rasped, before laughing loudly. Harley winked exaggeratedly at Joker "Of course, Puddin'. See James we know all about the little _rivalry_ you had with your _fellow_ chef, he was up for the promotion that you oh so wanted, wasn't he James?" Harley teased, blowing a bubble with her gum.

"So you went to his sweet little wife and told her that he was _cheating_. Tell us what she did James" Harley continued. James opened and closed his pale lips "Do what the pretty lady says Jamesy-boy" Joker chimed in. "She killed herself" James whispered, his voice hoarse with fear. Harley nodded "But that wasn't the end was it Jamesy" Harley went on, in a sing song tune.

"You told the poor widowed chef that it was _all his fault._ So he started to _drink_ his problems away and guess what happened Davey" Harley said, turning her attention to the still shaking Chef "He got in a drunk driving accident and tore his head off, so messy" Harley finished, mimicking tearing her head to one side, her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth. James' hands were clenched into fists, his pale face crumpled like paper "I didn't think any of that would-" James was cut off by Joker slamming his hands onto the table "I said no lying!" He said loudly, before easing back into his seat, devilish grin back in place.

"Now you are both going to cook something _lovely_ for my Harlequin and myself, whoever cooks better, lives. You don't win, and, uh…" Joker pulled a large glinting knife seemingly from out of nowhere and ghosted it across his neck, mimicking slitting his throat. The chefs glanced at each other swiftly "Hurry up, Puddin' doesn't like waiting to eat" Harley said, blowing a kiss to Joker as they both laughed loudly.

The chefs turned and all but ran back into the kitchen, accompanied firmly by the masked goons. Harley leant across the table carefully, kissing Joker fiercely before sitting back in her seat. The two spent the time drinking wine and laughing loudly at their own little games as the chefs came and went, delivering courses with trembling hands.

Harley popped another piece of gum into her mouth as Joker stood once the meal had ended, holding out a hand for Harley to clutch as she stood to join him. Joker lead Harley out back into the brightly lit kitchen, the gleaming surfaces accompanied by the quiet hum of the refrigerator and the bubbling of an industrial fryer. One of the goons jabbed a gun in the direction of the chefs, who stepped in front of Joker shakily.

"Want to do the honors, Mister J?" Harley questioned, swinging herself up onto a bench to sit on. Joker pulled a large knife from his jacket "A close call men, so, uh, eenie meenie minie… moe" Joker sung chillingly as he waved his knife between the two chefs. His knife drifted slowly to a stop on James "Our gracious loser!" Joker called. James attempted to step back, soundless pleads escaping his mouth, only to be stopped by one of the goons. Harley made mocking cheering sounds as Joker raised his knife and slit the man's throat. James dropped to the ground, blood gushing through his fingers clamped around his opened throat. The gurgling noises ceased as the pool of blood spread along the white tiled floors.

Dave took quick steps to the side, moving to stand by the industrial fryer of oil to avoid the spreading pool of thick viscous fluid. "Thank you Mister Joker, thank you" He stuttered, still a sickly white colour. "You know Puddin, I don't think he ever did pay you back" Harley sung slowly, slipping from the bench and gliding forward. Joker hummed, tapping the blunt side of the knife against the bench.

"I think you're right Harls. What a bad boy" Joker played along, grabbing a large pair of long thick metal tongs as he stepped forward. "No, please, I can get the money. I can-" whatever he was going to say was interrupted by Joker spinning the man viciously, and clamping the tongs around the back of his head. Daves face was then abruptly shoved into the bubbling oil of the fryer. Daves hands scrambled frantically against the sides of fryer, grasping for anything to pull himself up.

After a minute his muffled screams and scrambling hands stopped, Joker release the tongs, Dave's head remained floating in the oil, his lifeless body slumped over the fryer. "That smells much better that the fingers did" Harley said lightly, as she moved to loop her arm through Jokers "They do say all that fried food will kill you" Joker added. Harley stopped at James' body as they made their way to the door and unfastened the watch from his wrist, she wiped it along the clean part of his apron before fastening it to her wrist, where she would add it to her collection later.

Joker laughed loudly as he lead Harley to the kitchen doors, he spun her as he burst through the doors and made his way to the exit, Harley twirling ahead of him. Harley slid into the car smoothly as Joker sat behind the wheel and revved the engine. Harley beamed at Joker as she put her feet up onto the dashboard. "Can you believe it, Puddin'? One year since we got together officially" Harley sighed wistfully, her beaming smile still in place.

"I've got one more surprise planned to, uh, mark the occasion" Joker replied. After ten minutes of swerving through the dark streets, he pulled to a screeching halt at a scenic overlook. Harley stepped from the car, gravel crunching below her boots, as she looked out at the city of Gotham lit by the bright lights of the city. Overhead the dark night sky was illuminated by twinkling stars, the light wind blocked by the swaying trees either side of the overlook.

Joker joined Harley at the overlooks edge, where he pulled two things from his jacket pocket, a cell phone and a detonator with four buttons on it. Joker laughed as he handed the detonator to Harley, before dialing a number on the cellphone. "Gordon" Came the short answer from the phone. "Mayor! Guess who" Joker sung lowly, his voice rasping through the night.

"Joker. What do you want?" Mayor Gordon's reply came sharply. Joker laughed slowly "What do I want? Straight, uh, straight to the point I see. Well I have a little deal, you open up a bank, all police lining the area, or my little Harlequin blows up both bridges out of town and blast the walls to Arkham Asylum open. Turn this city into a little _playground_ " Joker said, his voice still velvety. Harley laughed loudly, thrills of excitement running through her.

"You don't have the ability-" He was cut of by Harley pressing one of the buttons on the detonator "Wrong answer Mister Mayor" Harley teased, watching the night sky explode into flames as one of the bridges lit up before her. Swearing could be heard over the phone as Harley and Joker laughed, Harley wrapped her arms around Joker's neck "Look at the pretty colours, Puddin'" Harley exclaimed.

"The bank is open, no more explosions Joker" The Mayor said finally, panicked voices overlapping on his end of the phone. Joker grinned, his silver teeth flashing in the night. He hummed as he opened what seemed to be cameras set up at the bank on his phone, revealing the open doors, with Police cars outside on the street. "Good dog, Gordon" Joker said, before motioning to Harley.

Harley pushed two more buttons on the detonator, the bank exploded into the night, police scrambling for cover as they were pelted with debris and flaming heat. A wall to Arkham Asylum also crumbled into inferno, the explosions setting off fireworks into the night sky. Harley and Joker's laughter carried out into the night as Harley threw the detonator off the ledge before her.

More swearing carried from the cellphone as Harley kissed Joker deeply, the fire illuminating their passionate, violent kiss. "Joker you-" More panicked voices carried over the phone as Harley and Joker continued cackling "I left you a bridge for being a good boy" Harley spoke up, giggling into the phone. "Harleen Quinzel? You-" Harley sighed and rolled her eyes as she pelted the phone over the ledge, watching it plummet to the trees below.

Joker laughed ecstatically as he watched through the cameras of Arkham Asylum "Batman comes to _save the day!_ " He called, watching the vigilante work with the guards to stop the criminals from escaping "Batsy ruins all the fun" Harley added, giggling. Joker slipped the phone into his jacket as he looked out at the fires still burning from their explosions, Harley kissed his neck quickly, their manic smiles still in place as they watched over the end to their date night.


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

**Author's Note: Life happens, but I will not make excuses for my slow updates, I will update as quickly as I can. You will notice a few changes here, such as I added the event that lead to Joker chasing Joker and Harley, it's not explicitly stated in this chapter but that event is what caught Batman's attention to have the big car chase scene. After this chapter, Suicide Squad will** _ **not**_ **start right away, I want to add more of the time in prison, the people who assess Harley etc so there will be that before the events of the movie. I know some of you won't like how I changed the very end scene (you'll know what I mean when you read it) but I think it fits better with the changed dynamic of the story I have shown so far. As always let me know what you think.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Twenty Three.**_

Harley was enraptured as she listened to Jokers newest plot. The dim lighting of his office bathed the room, and the mad duo, in a hazy golden light as he talked about his idea to teach Gotham a lesson, using an upcoming political figure as the example. "It's simple, babydoll. Carson wants to, uh, _crack down_ on crime with his very own flavour of it so we're going to introduce a little _anarchy_ "Joker drawled lowly, twirling one of his knives through his fingers as he spoke.

Harley nodded from her usual position perched on the edge of Jokers large desk. "Carsons preaching about ethics with his group of _dirty_ little politicians was grating on my nerves. We can make it a date night Puddin'" Harley responded, throwing a beaming smile his way. Joker laughed slowly, yanking Harley from the desk to abruptly sit her in his lap "We'll, uh, paint the town _red,_ baby" He said, flashing his silver teeth at Harley in response as he brushed back his hair.

Harley clapped and nodded before standing and smoothing her outfit. Her outfit today was different to her usual, preferred look for their 'date nights'. She worn a long sultry black dress, that dipped low in the front and clung to her like a second skin, the dress was paired with a long, straight deep brown wig swept up into an intricate bun. Her role tonight required a little anonymity to start off with, and her look mirrored that.

With a careful adjustment of the garters on her upper thighs that contained her beautiful pink knives, she held a hand out to Joker, who took it and stood. Joker was dressed in an artfully tailored white shirt, his criss-cross gun harness strapped on already, with his bow tie hanging loosely around his neck. Harley stepped forward and ran her hand along Jokers cheek, he closed his eyes briefly and twisted his neck so his face pressed into her hand. Harley slid her hand off his cheek as he opened his eyes and moved her hands to do up his bow tie.

"Shall we?" Joker asked, presenting his arm to Harley, who beamed and wrapped her arm around his. "This will be a good date night, Puddin'" Harley said as Joker lead her to the elevator. Joker laughed madly in return, spinning her as he entered the elevator. The garage was empty of men tonight, having all been sent off on their various assignments earlier in the evening. Joker hummed as he looked around the garage, glancing over his cars until he laid eyes on The Vaydor.

Harley bounced on her heels slightly as she laid eyes on the custom built car, it was a beautiful sleek dark pink car, it was Harley's favourite of his collection. "Mmm, _hop in_ " Joker said as he walked quickly to the driver's side and slid in. Harley followed quickly behind him, bouncing into the car with excitement radiating off of her. Joker bared his teeth in a wide smile at Harley as he peeled out of the garage into the cool, clear evening.

It was not long before Joker drew to a stop outside a small, exclusive club in the heart of Gotham. The club was unlike others in the town, it was often rented exclusively to parties of powerful people, such as tonight where it was occupied by Carson and his team of political cohorts. Harley turned and pressed a kiss to Joker's mouth firmly, smiling widely at him as he looked at her. "You know what to do, baby. _Go get 'em_ " Joker said, patting Harleys behind as she opened the door and exited the beautiful car.

Harley smoothed her dress and slid a hand over her dark wig, ensuring it was firmly in place. The club was discrete from the outside, dark bricks surrounded a heavy oak door which was guarded by a tall man dressed in dark clothing. Harley maintained eye contact as she glided forward, painting a sultry smile on her face. The man raised an eyebrow at Harley as she stopped in front of him, his eyes dropping to draw slowly up her body.

"Hi there, I'm Alanah, I was called to come and, uh, entertain the gentlemen tonight" Harley said, her tone low and warm, her gaze unwavering. The man nodded slightly before catching himself and clearing his throat "I'll just, uh, just check" He said, pressing his jacket covered wrist to his mouth and murmuring briefly. He seemed to be listening for a moment, he glanced at Harley quickly "They say no one, uh, ordered anything tonight" He said. Harley didn't let her face change and instead widened her smile "It's complimentary, a business partner who wishes to remain anonymous where possible wants to show his… hospitality" Harley responded smoothly, placing a hand gently on the mans forearm.

The guard swallowed slightly before raising his wrist and relaying the information, the man listened for a moment before nodding at Harley and stepping forward to open the door, Harley brushed her hand along his arm lightly as she moved through the door into the dimly lit club ahead of her. The club was small, yet elegant, the room lined with plush velvet couches and hazy with cigar scented smoke. A large group of men sat around a circular table, playing poker and drinking swigs of amber liquid from crystal glasses.

The group looked to her as she swayed into the room. "Hello gentlemen, Elson Corp' send their _warmest_ regards to the political future of Gotham" Harley said lowly, moving to stand beside the tall pale man that was Carson. The men smirked slightly as Harley draped a hand on Carson's shoulder. "How thoughtful of them, are you a, ah, gift?" Carson asked, pushing out slightly from the table in the expensive wooden chair, Harley nodded with a seductive smile. Carson laughed, the men surrounding him joining in quickly.

"Why don't you take a seat while we finish our hand then?" Carson responded slickly, patting a hand to his grey clothed lap. Harley obliged and drapped herself across the man's lap, running her hand along his arm as he pressed a thick hand to her behind. The men continued their hand, thick cigar smoke coiling up from the group of men as they played. Once the round had finished, Harley stood. "Let me just freshen up, and then we can play a different kind of game" Harley stated, brushing her fingertips along Carson's thigh. The man smirked and smacked Harleys behind as she turned to the back of the room and made her exit.

Harley exited down the back hallway with a quick backwards glance as she passed the bathroom quickly and stopped at the fire exit. Pulling a pin from her hair, Harley picked the lock quickly and pulled open the door, revealing a grinning Joker. "Right on time, _Harlequin_ " He drawled, pushing into the hallway and pulling Harley in for a brief passionate kiss.

Harley winked as she took Joker's hand and lead him back down the hall, entering the room containing the men. "I hope you don't mind, I brought a friend" She called, causing the eyes of all the men to draw to her, and then fill with horror at the sight of Joker. Harley reached up and pulled the wig firmly from her head, she shook out her curled hair as Joker began to laugh, walking forward.

"Well hello _boys_ , I see you've met my Harlequin. A little problem, I don't like people, uh, touching my things" Joker said, lifting a glass of whiskey from the table and draining it in one mouthful, Joker sighed and twisted his head before throwing the glass abruptly to the ground and cackling. Harley joined in with his laughter as she twined herself slyly around the men at the table.

"You claim to want to _abolish_ crime in our city, but you're bad boys yourself, aren't you Carson? So I, uh, decided we need a little more _anarchy_ " Joker began, as he twirled a chair around and sat in it backwards. The men were frozen in place, eyes drawn to the blade Joker had begun twirling. Carsons face was a sickly white, flushed points of red raised in his cheeks. "Now see here Joker, you can't-" Carson began, only to be cut off by Harley abruptly slamming his head against the solid table.

Carson rose was a yelp of pain, pressing a hand to the thick streams of red now flowing from his nose "Don't interrupt Mister J" She said sweetly, moving to stand by Joker, who watched on with an insane smile. "See the thing is you claim you can spread _calm_ through Gotham, oh but what a bad boy you are for lying. Introduce a little anarchy to the established order and everything becomes chaos. So we're going to show Gotham what a little _chaos_ really looks like" Joker spoke, his voice rasping.

Joker stood and pulled a small object from his pocket, keeping it hidden from sight. "Now Joker you can't do anything, my guards will be in here any second" Carson replied, false bravado failing at covering his terror. The men around the table glanced at each other briefly, staggering the room with frightful tension. As if on a que, two guards walked into the room, and abruptly raised their guns at Joker and Harley.

Before anyone could talk Joker raised his hand, revealing a small, black canister. "Ahh, ahh, ahh, I want to show off my second favourite toy first" Joker said, winking at Harley, who laughed with a brilliant smile. "This is my little invention, _Joker Venom_. You'll, uh, never look more _delighted_ to die" Joker continued, looping a finger through the small pull tab at the top of the cannister.

"You're a mad man Joker, if you pull that you'll kill yourself as well" One of the men at the table spoke up, glancing around the room. "Let's test that, Puddin'" Harley called, beginning to laugh as Joker pulled the tab and threw the cannister down onto the table. Thick grey smoke began to billow into the room, a slight green tint staining the cloud. All of the occupants in the room began to cough, excluding Harley and Joker. Harley giggled as she walked through the fog calmly, wrapping her arms around a laughing Joker's neck as they watched the men.

All the coughing men in the room began to laugh hysterically, dropping to their knees as they clutched at their throats. A few moments later, as the smoke began to disperse, the corpses of the room were revealed, enormous disfigured smiles pulling at their faces. Harley stepped over the corpses to Carson's body and tugged his Rolex watch from his wrist, slipping it onto her arm. Harley hesitated for a moment before deciding she wanted all the other men's watches too, and collected them as well. Her forearms soon laden with expensive watches.

Joker laughed at her antics, before grabbing her hand and leading her from the room. "Do you think anyone has worked out the connection between our little baths at ACE chemicals and the toxin immunity, Puddin'?" Harley asked lightly as Joker led her out of the back door of the building to his waiting car, while he tugged the tie undone and unbuttoned the top of his shirt. Joker laughed loudly in response "Anyone who knows doesn't keep their head for long" He rasped, starting the engine as Harley relaxed in her seat. Harley beamed at Joker and chuckled, as Joker peeled off into the night.

Thanks to the eccentric driving of Joker, it was not long before Harley and Joker arrived at the club. As they entered Harley glanced around at the writhing, drunken bodies dancing in time to the thumping music. "You told Frost to bring my bag right?" Harley asked, as they were handed drinks without a word and led to their private booth. Joker flashed his teeth and waved a hand through the air, which was soon occupied by a large pink bag, handed to Harley by a solemn faced Frost.

Harley clapped and took the bag as she placed her signature enormous blue cocktail down onto the table and kissed Joker as she pranced off to the bathroom to change. Harley sighed in relief once she had finished touching up her make up and had changed into a beautiful playsuit. The playsuit was one of newest acquisitions from Eileen, short with a decent 'V-neck' dip, and an open back held together by thin golden chains. It was made up of shining black and gold diamond shapes, and complete with tassels hanging off the end, it was glorious. Harley considered the large mirror surrounded by lights, as she swiped red lipstick to her lips.

With a last tug at her artful, curled hair, Harley exited into the club and made her way back to Joker. A loud wolf whistle met her as Joker caught sight of her, his usual shark toothed smile in place, he patted his knee for Harley to sit on, and Harley complied happily. "Is it Monster T who's coming in for business tonight, Puddin'?" Harley question, picking her drink up and draining half of it in an impressive motion.

"He's coming to, uh, discuss the _finer_ details of a little deal he wants to make" Joker responded, lazing backwards on the plush couch. Harley nodded, her pink and blue tipped hair bouncing with the motion. "Let me guess, I'm good at guessing!" Harley began, winking at Joker, who laughed loudly and motioned for her to continue, leaning his head back as he listened. "He has been getting protection from the _fine_ men in blue so he can peddle his naughty drugs in your area, in exchange for a cut of the profit, and he wants to _extend_ his reach" Harley announced, humming as she thought it over.

Jokers smile flashed icily for a moment as he threw his hands out to the side "She gets it in one, ladies and gentlemen. What a gal!" He called out loudly, his rasping voice taking on a mocking announcer's tone, his long fingers tugging at the 'Puddin'' necklace she wore. Harley mockingly bowed from her seated position "How boring, so… _unoriginal_ of him" Harley sighed, before draining her drink and standing. "I'm gonna go dance Mister J, don't have too much fun without me" Harley sang, running her index finger down Jokers arm as she turned to leave. Joker gave an exaggerated salute in response, as she twirled towards the edge of the VIP platform.

With her usual technique of swinging up through the chains, Harley was soon in her favourite glass box, dancing. The box was her favourite as it had a clear view of the bar, where she could keep an eye on Blue, and was directly beside Jokers booth, where she could intervene if necessary. The box was now dubbed 'Harleys' officially and was kept empty, as Harley had a habit of throwing any other uninvited occupants from it.

The music swirled through Harley's mind, the dim lighting accompanied by random bright flashes of lasered lighting helping her swirl into the funhouse of her mind. Time sped around Harley as she danced, twisting and arching her body in dramatic and sensual poses. Harley was drawn from the mirrored maze of her thoughts by the feeling of eyes on her. Glancing over subtlety, she caught sight of Monster T sitting opposite Joker.

He would have looked like an intimidating man had he been in any other company, his tall, muscular frame suited in an intricate leather jacket, patched with dark red and grey designs over his chest and back. Around his large dark sunglasses revealed more of his numerous tattoos. His bald head was covered in what looked to be a pair of horns, with an eye tattooed in the middle of his forehead, with crosses tattooed on his cheeks. More tattoos trailed down his neck, peaking out at every piece of exposed skin. Harley liked his piercings around his lips and nose, imagining how easy they would be to tip from his skin.

Harley wondered if the name Monster T came before or after the tattoos, as she pressed herself against the glass, teasing the drunken, lusty dancers, like a child in an aquarium, tapping the glass to startle the fish. Harley kept an eye on Joker and Monster T as they spoke, watching with amusement as the man held out a ringed hand for Joker to shake, only to be stopped by Frost with a deep "He doesn't shake hands".

Harley moved smoothly to open the glass door imperceptibly, to allow Joker and Monster T's conversation to reach her. Frost motioned for Monster T to sit, who complied and lowered himself opposite Joker, who had his hands leaning casually on his cane, his golden rings and bracelets glinting as he stared out over the club distantly, seemingly ignoring Monster T.

"Hey J, on behalf of everyone, welcome back" Monster T said, his tone more confident than it should have been, Harley thought. Harley motioned for the box to be lowered slightly, to where she could reach the dancers below her yet still easily access the chains she used to transport herself. Harley pushed the door open with a golden heeled foot and yanked a pretty masked dancer in with her. She pressed the African American woman against the glance and danced around her, like a cat toying with an unsuspecting bird.

"I just wanted to say thank you, for making me good money, for making you good money" Monster T said smoothly. Joker brushed a hand against his check quickly, tilting his head around to look at Monster T finally, his expression serious. "Are you sweet talking me?" He asked, raising his hand to have his grinning tattoo cover his mouth as he began to laugh slowly, the chilling sound carrying over the music. "I love this guy" Joker began, as Monster T removed his shades, unease flickering over his face at the unmistakable laugh of Joker.

Joker leaned forward and rocked slightly, a large grin pulling at his face. "So intense!" He laughed, his eyes wide and glinting. Harley shoved the shocked dancer from her glass box and motioned for the box to be raised again, dancing lustily as she moved to be adjacent to Jokers booth again. The movement caught Monster T's eye as he glanced sideways, watching Harley drop lowly in the box, sliding her body smoothly.

"You're a lucky man. You got a bad bitch" Monster T said, his gaze unwavering from Harley as she dropped to a squat and swayed her body back upwards. Harley could see from where she danced that Jokers serious expression was back in place, his eyes wide and unblinking like a snake as he raised a hand slowly and waved it in Harley's direction, "Oh that she is" He rasped.

Joker rose slowly, his hand still extended as he raised his other hand, moving closer to Monster T slowly. Frosts expression darkened as he predicted the outcome of his boss' meeting with Monster T, he placed a shot before Monster T before moving back into the shadowed corner. "The fire in my loins, the _itch_ in my _crotch_ " Joker said, his voice gaining volume as he spun slowly, his arms extended as he moved to stand beside the chained edge of his booth. He pulled his elbows in line with his waist, his fists clenched as he continued. "The one, the only, the _infamous,_ Harley Quinn!" He called loudly, his tone like velvet, impossibly rough and smooth.

Harley mimicked shooting down the crowd dramatically as she brushed her hair back from her face, her gaze snapped back to Joker as he whistled loudly, acting as though she hadn't heard the whole conversation. Harley laughed and opened the glass door, swinging her body through the chains to reach the outside edge of Jokers booth. Harley beamed, pushing through the golden chains to perch on the top of the couch. Monster T took his shot as Joker spoke " _Ooh,_ come to daddy" he growled, moving in front of his previous seat.

"Puddin'" Harley stated, giggling slowly, an impossibly large smile covering her face. Harley studied Jokers face as he moved to stand next to her "Listen, you are my gift to this _handsome…_ hunka' hunka!" He said, his voice raising as her motioned between Harley and Monster T. The gangster looked uneasy as Joker spoke, his eyes following Jokers movements as he smoothed back his hair and turned to Harley.

"You belong to him now" Joker said, taking Harleys arm as she slid off of the couch and guiding her over to Monster T. Harley felt excitement rise in her, as she beamed at Monster T and growled at him before laughing and lowering herself to sit in his lap, her arm lacing around the back of his neck. The manic pair playing with their victims was one of Harley's favourite things to do.

Monster T chuckled lowly, his gaze on Harley's face as she slid a hand up his leather clad arm. "You're cute" She said, moving her face closely to his as Joker moved back to stand in front of his seat, his gleaming eyes never leaving Harley. "You want me?" She asked lowly, allowing her bubblegum scented breath to wash over Monster T. Harley placed a hand to his face, watching his lustful gaze take her in, "I'm all yours" she spoke lowly, letting out a giggle.

Joker's mouth was slightly ajar as he watched Harley toy with Monster T, his expression dark as he let out a breath of air, breathing heavily. Harley leaned back slightly as Monster T caught sight of Joker, his expression morphing into worry. "I don't want no beef" He rumbled, reading the electric tension in the air. "You don't want no _beef?_ You don't want no beef, don't want no beef" Joker mocked, swaying slightly. "Why what's wrong? You don't like me?" Harley chimed in, annoyance tinging her tone.

"Fine. don't waste my time then" Harley pouted, standing quickly and moving to stand beside Joker as he tugged his hands around the back of his neck while Monster T spoke "This is your lady" he spoke smoothly, though concern showed in his eyes. Harley sat carefully, an anticipating smile on her face as she watched the show before her. Joker moved in front of Monster T, leaning forward to be on his eye level "Are you enjoying yourself? Joker rasped, a cold smile flashing on his face as Monster T watched, frozen.

"No, that's your lady J" Monster T said, his eyes on Joker who was brushing his hair back, his grin in place. "That's right" Joker said, standing quickly, his motions followed by an unmoving Frost. Before Monster T could move he pulled a gun, pressing it into the gangsters forehead, his smile dropped coldly as he pulled it back "No, J-" Monster T was cut off by Joker firing a bullet directly into Monster T's forehead, the bullet piercing the third eye tattoo like a target.

Harley laughed loudly at the action, as she moved to stand beside Joker, who was holstering his gun. Joker growled slightly and pressed a possessive kiss to Harley, before moving back to tell Frost to dispose of the body. Harley leaned down and yanked Monster T's ostentatious watch from his wrist, before clasping on her own. Joker motioned Harley over, who complied quickly. "Why don't you take me home, Puddin'?" Harley purred, trailing her fingers down Jokers throat, who leaned his head back and exhaled sharply "Looking to, uh, finish up _date night?_ " Joker questioned, snapping his gaze to Harley, a smile back in place on her face.

The pair laughed loudly as they exited the club to Jokers car, the drunken clubbers oblivious as they danced. Joker slid into the driver's seat, Harley beaming beside him as they peeled off into the night "Do it Puddin'" Harley called, as Joker took daring turns to swerve through the light traffic. Harleys gaze drifted to the rear view mirror as the pair laughed, wildly twining between the cars. "Oh we have got company" Joker said, leaning towards Harley as he caught sight of Batman's signature car accompanying them in the dark streets.

"Batsy, Batsy, Batsy" Harley chanted, grinning widely back at Joker as Batman sped behind them. Joker laughed as he spun around the corners, a sudden thumping jerking a cry from Harley as she bounced, Joker rolled his eyes upwards to where Batman had landed on the roof of his car. Harley frowned, reaching over and grabbing Joker's gun from his holster "Batsy, you're ruining date night!" She yelled, raising the gun and firing upwards as Joker laughed maniacally.

Joker turned another corner, the warfs coming into view before them. "Puddin'" Harley said, glancing at Joker "You need to jump out" Harley said, her voice wavering at the sight of the dark, still water rapidly approaching, she knew she couldn't swim, she would slow down Joker if he went in the water with her. Joker glanced towards Harley once again, slowing almost imperceptibly. "I can't swim Puddin'. You need to get out! I'll slow him down" Harley yelled, her eyes piercing into Jokers.

A moment before the car hit the water Joker nodded once more at Harley, who blew a wild kiss at him, he motioned shooting it down as he rolled from the car. "Puddin'!" Harley screamed as she hit the water. Harley's head jerked backwards as the car sank through the icy waves, bringing herself back to reality Harley dropped her head down to her chest as the water flowed into the car through the windscreen, which had shattered upon impact. Harley moved forward through the dark water quickly, draping herself through the window to lean her body on the bonnet, pulling a pink knife from her thigh holster as she dropped. She knew Batman would be here soon enough, hoping to catch Joker, and no one touched her Mister J but her.

Harley felt the water push against her as Batman swam towards her, she remained motionless, playing dead. Batman's gloved hand clenched in her hair, pulling her head back, Harley snapped her eyes open and bared her teeth at Joker, bubbles of air streaming upwards. Harley slashed the knife through the water, the liquid slowing her motions enough that before she could land the blade into Batman's flesh, his armored hand had struck her face, knocking her back into darkness.

Flashes of street light hit her closed eyes as her soaked body hit the crisp night air, her body limp in Batman's arms as she came to consciousness. With a thump she felt herself hit metal, she held her breath as she felt gloved fingers touch her throat, how _touching_ she thought, as Batman's fingers pressed her nose closed.

His mouth pressed against hers suddenly, Harley felt a thrill through her as she kissed him harshly before he could blow air into her lungs, clenching her hand to the side of his throat. She was too weak from the impact to fight as Batman's hand pressed to her neck, slamming her back down to the metal bonnet below her. Harley peeked through heavily lidded eyes. Noticing the absence of Joker, she began laughing. he had escaped as she wished. He would come for her she thought, laughing loudly as she was shoved into Batmans car.


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

**Author's Note: Okay sorry about the short chapter but there this chapter needed to happen before I can get into some of the prison stuff. Thank you to the reviewer who pointed out some confusion with names in one of the chapters, I will go back and clear it up. I think the level of violence Harley shows in this is pretty accurate to her reaction of being separated from Joker, combined with the exhaustion of the night's events. Anyway as always please let me know what you think.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Twenty Four.**_

Harley hummed Jazz music to herself as Batman yanked her out of his car, the cool night air biting at her soaked skin in the dark night. A pair of solid handcuffs were snapped in place behind her back as Batman stood in front of Harley on the cracked pavement and began patting his hands up and down Harleys body, yanking weapons from almost invisible hiding places. Harley giggled loudly, jerking forward and snapping her teeth as Batman touched her "Do you like playing with me Batsy?" Harley purred.

With his expression hidden behind his iconic mask, Batman jerked Harley around without a word and pushed her towards the building they stood in front of. An aging brick building with thick steel framed doors stood under a gleaming steel sign announcing 'Gotham City Police Department'. Harley did not struggle as she was shoved through the doors and into the reception of the Police Department.

Flickering fluorescent lights illuminated the cheap grey linoleum floor and peeling white wallpaper. A thick screen of bulletproof glass separated the room from a small reception desk, with a pair of coded doors leading out the back of the room. The thin, greying man behind the reception desk looked up at the abrupt entrance mid sip of his coffee and let out a garbled cough, sending droplets spraying across the desk.

There was a moment of silence as he opened and closed his mouth, before picking up the phone and muttering into it quickly. Harley watched on in amusement, her upper arm held tightly in Batman's grip. The minute the coded doors burst open, she was released and Batman was gone, vanishing through the exit and into the night "Loving me and leaving me Batsy!" Harley called behind her as the wave of armed police men descended upon her.

Her upper arms were once again gripped as the group of policemen discussed the situation. "Our _fine_ boys in blue" Harley sung, assessing the group. No one seemed to want to meet her eyes as they ignored her words. Harley leaned back slightly, allowing her knees to loosen and bend ever so slightly, the men holding her arms took this as a sign of her weakening state and gripped tighter.

Abruptly Harley swung her legs up and delivered a powerful double kick to the chest and neck of the nearest man, sending him careening to the floor, where he laid still, seemingly unconscious. There was a moment of stunned stillness which Harley used to her advantage as she yanked herself forward, free from the now slackened grip of the men holding her. Jumping with her knees tucked to her chest, Harley swung her cuffed hands underneath her and out front of her body.

With no hesitation she delivered a brutal blow of both fists to the head of a young woman closest to her, sending the obvious rookie stumbling backwards to the floor, clutching her head dazedly. The group of law enforcement officers seemed jolted to action at the sight as Harley leapt forward and bodily tackled one of the group to the group, ensuring her shoulder checked his head to the ground with a sickening crack, kicking to her left viciously to send an approaching officer backwards, though he remained standing. Harley leapt upwards, twisting in a cat-like manner as she spun behind the officer reaching for her, his gun trained on her.

Harley pulled the chain of her cuffed hands tightly to his throat, bringing her leg up to kick the gun from his hand as he raised his hands to clutch at the obstruction to his oxygen desperately. The two remaining, uninjured, officers froze, guns trained as the room came to a standstill. Harley assessed the situation quickly, before laughing loudly and yanking the her hands back, tightening her grip on the man's throat. The officers gripped their guns tighter and clicked off the safeties in a motion that seemed choreographed. "I thought you wanted to play" Harley announced. "Let the man go, Quinzel" A gruff voiced officer stated, eyeing Harleys every movement.

With an eye roll Harley abruptly threw the man heavily to one side, sending him crashing into the separating glass of the reception desk where he slid to the ground, unmoving. Both officers descended on her before she could move and gripped her tightly, holding her arms tightly to her side. Without a word they marched her through the coded doors and into a cell, where she was thrown in abruptly, and slammed the door behind her.

Harley studied the small cell, a typical grey room with a seatless toilet to one side, a steel bench attached to wall of the other side, and nothing else. Harley sat herself cross legged onto the bench and began humming to herself, her mind filled with thoughts of Joker. She hoped he would make an explosion when he came for her, he knew she loved the colours.

Harley frowned, she hoped he wasn't injured when he left the car. She was glad he had left, if he had stayed she would have slowed him down, he might have been captured too, and Harley had been through a lot to break him out the first time. Shaking all thoughts from her head, Harley shivered slightly, her damp clothing sticking to her ghostly skin as she moved to lie sideways on the steel shelf, her head hanging off the edge as she kicked her legs up to lean up the wall, the grey bricks pressing harshly into her bare legs.

Harley closed her eyes and allowed the swirling colours of her mind to blur together, green and silver flashing predominantly as she hummed a made up tune to herself. She knew Joker would come for her; she was his and he was hers, and nobody was allowed to touch Mister J's things. Harley laughed to herself at the thought, her mind's image of Joker obsessively pressed into her brain, she would never be worried while her Puddin' was still breathing.

Harley had moved to singing show tunes when the heavy cell door was opened and three heavily armed guards entered slowly. Moving quickly, Harley swung herself to a sitting position, facing the guards. With one guard remaining unmoving with a gun trained on her, the two others yanked her into a standing position, uncuffing her wrists and yanking her hands back behind her back, they re cuffed her. "How'd you know I like it _rough_ " Harley teased, growling at the nearest guard, who flinched backwards slightly.

"Shut it, Harlequin" He spoke, his voice gruff as he steeled his shoulders, acting tough. "Don't speak to her newbie" the guard with a gun trained on Harley said roughly. Harley giggled "I think there's enough to go around, no need to be jealous" She winked. The men did their best to ignore her as they lead her from the room and down the dull brown linoleum hallway.

Harley was pushed into a dark room, a camera was set up in front of a dull grey backdrop, with a height board set to the side. The room was empty of anything else. "No funny business Quinn" The lead guard said as he locked the door behind them. Harley handcuffs were removed as she was lead in front of the the camera. "Gonna take some pictures?" Harley said, running a hand down her cheek, pulling back her hand she caught sight of the smeared makeup now along her hand.

Frowning at the sight Harley had a board shoved into her hands. The board stated the date, along with Gotham Police Dept', and read 'Quinn, Harley'. "Your boyfriend will be joining you for glamour shots soon enough" One of the younger men sneered, his gun trained on Harley. Harley snapped her teeth at the man, before turning to glare down the lense of the camera, her hair hanging in damp strands in front of her face.

The pictures were taken quickly, Harley remained steady, though her body was exhausting quickly. The board was taken from her quickly, she was then cuffed and lead out of the room to yet another small, dull room. An interview room, Harley recognised, with a steel table bolted to the floor along with two chairs facing each other. A large mirrored glass section of the wall reflected the room back at her.

Harley was quickly seated at the table, where her cuffs were removed momentarily to be threaded through a steel loop on the table before being reattached to her wrists. Her feet were then cuffed to the chair legs. Once Harley was restrained, the men left quickly, firmly locking the door behind them.

Harley remained steady in her seat, not allowing any sign of weakness to show in the presence of the two way mirror. It was not long before a well dressed man entered the room. The beefy man with neatly groomed greying hair was dressed in an immaculate police uniform as he took the seat opposite Harley, studying her as he sat.

"Harley Quinn. You killed one of my men on the way in here. Two more are in hospital, another with a medic" The man stated, his face steady though his lips thinned as he spoke. Harley laughed "If you play in my sandpit, you're going to get _dirty_ " Harley teased, threat lacing her words. The man glared "This city does not belong to you" He growled. Harley rolled her eyes "Gotham is Mister J's city, and I'm going to _tear you up_ when he comes to get me" Harley assured the man, sending a grin at him, made all the more ominous by her smeared makeup and drenched hair.

The man clenched his fists and shook his head "He won't find you" He stated, his stern demeanor breaking ever so slightly at the threat of what would happen should Joker and Harley be reunited. Harley laughed loudly, no humour in the sound as it echoed around the dim room "Mister J will come get me, it doesn't matter where you try to hide me" Harley said, the conviction of her words entirely assured in her mind. She knew she was right, it was just a matter of time.

"The higher ups are you having you transferred to a _pit,_ you'll stay there, he won't be getting to you" The man said. Harley stuck her tongue out at the man childishly "I'm sure it will be a _party_ " She said. A tap on the two way mirror had the man standing quickly and moving out of the room. Harley rolled her neck slightly, feeling an ache from her face where Batman had hit her, she would need to get revenge for that she thought.

Before long the same police officer entered the room, his shoulders steeled and face grim. He didn't say a word as he uncuffed Harley's hands and feet and gripped her tightly, keeping her down in the seat. In practiced unison a fleet of heavily armed men dressed completely in black riot gear entered the room, Harley painted a beaming smile onto her face and grinned at the helmeted men.

"Harley Quinn, nice to meet 'cha" She introduced, before two men stepped forward and bodily lifted her from the chair. Harley was quickly shoved into a straight jacket and had her ankles shackled together. As the man was shackling her ankles Harley drew a knee up, colliding it with the jaw of the man, all guns in the room were raised and trained on Harley, as she laughed at the man who had fallen backwards and was slowly making his way to his feet. "Touchy, touchy" Harley sung, her eyelids feeling heavy.

Harley could not see any escape route at this moment, her mind ran on three different tracks as usual as she considered her escape routes, each idea accompanied by her mental voice talking through the ideas with varying degrees of violence and enthusiasm. Harley hummed to herself, focusing on her thoughts as she was shoved from the room, and quickly surrounded by the armed men. "So which brand of organised crime are you? I don't see any letters" Harley asked pleasantly as she was lead through the coded doors and through the reception, to the entrance.

A giggle escaped Harley at the sight of the blood smeared in various places around the room, her giggles taking a dark turn as she imagined how much more carnage she would cause when she got her revenge on all who stood between her reunion with Joker. Though the men were clearly trained intensely, having not said a word to Harley at all, a few gripped their weapons tighter, and shifted slightly at the sound of her laughter.

Two large heavily armored black vans stood at the front of the police station, the back of the vans were windowless and blank of any identification. The front windows tinted darkly. Abruptly Harley was pushed into the back of the front van, where she was seated onto one of the two steel benches lining the back of the van. Half of the group of men piled in behind Harley, surrounding her on the benches. A strappy harness was quickly attached to Harley, keeping her in place against the van wall, as she snapped her teeth and laughed maniacally at anyone who got close to her.

When one man got his gloved hand a little too close to Harley's face, she threw her head to the side and sank her teeth into his cloth covered wrist. The man let out a high pitched grunt as he yanked his arm away from her, stumbling back into the bench opposite Harley. "Tranq' her, the threat's too high" the last man to enter the van said, slamming the doors shut behind him.

The man closest to Harley withdrew a syringe from a pouch on his belt, before uncapping it. "If you touch me with that I'll cut off your fingers and sew them to-" Harley was cut off by the man pressing the syringe into her neck and injecting a flood of sedative into her bloodstream.

The man pulled the needle from her skin and recapped it, putting the needle away. Harley fought the sedative as best she could. Though medications like this normally had little effect on Harley, the powerful dosage combined with her exhausted body sent blackness creeping into the edges of her vision. Losing the battle to keep her eyes open, Harley let her heavy lids slide closed. Images of herself with Joker, tearing apart all who distanced them filled her mind as she drifted into the carnival whirlwind of her subconscious mind.


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

**Author's Note: I'm sure there will be comments about the cell being described wrong but the first cell is not the one from the movie. I feel like there should be a story as to why Harley got the kind of cell that she did, so I'm going to add that in. Let me know what you think of the guard's, I'll try keep Griggs in character but I think a lot of the prison time before the movie will be of my own workings, with plenty of interesting scenes. Also there will be at** **least one part of Joker's P.O.V later and depending on that reaction maybe more.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Twenty Five.**_

Harley kept her eyes closed as she came into consciousness, she could feel the van slowing down, the sound of gravel crunching under the tires accompanied the quiet voices of the men talking. "She'll be knocked out for another few hours, enough time to get her in" One of the men said confidently. Harley repressed the smirk she felt coming, the straps held her body firmly in place as the van came to a halt.

With her eyes still shut, Harley waited until the harness holding her to the van was removed by a pair of gloved hands before snapping her eyes open and lunging forward, a surprised grunt met Harleys ears as she collided her shoulder with the face of a surprised man. The group of men descended on her as she fought wildly, laughing loudly as she kicked out with shackled feet and bit at any exposed flesh that came close to her.

"She should still be out cold, what the hell kind of dosage did you give her Johns?!" A gruff voice yelled as finally two men got a solid grip on Harley and stilled her movements. "I gave her double! These freaks burn through the shit" Johns replied, breathing heavily as he attempted to stem the bleeding from his nose, where he had forcefully knocked his face against his helmet.

"Whatever. Get her out of the van, we don't have time to tranq' her again" The man who seemed to be the leader said, pulling the van doors open and shoving Harley out into the watery greyish sunlight. The group wasted no time in surrounding Harley, her upper arms still in a firm grip as they lead her down a cracked grey path.

"So where's our little vacation spot?" Harley asked, her tone again light as though the fight had never happened. No one answered her so she took her time taking in the surrounding area. The air was thick and sticky, smelling heavily of damp earth and rust. The paved road they walked along was the only solid ground in sight, a heavy concrete wall blocked the area behind her from view.

The area was covered in dense swampland, murky brown water was heavily populated by thick green algae with occasional decrepit trees spotting the area. "You know I'm real good at design, I think I could really redecorate here" Harley piped up, met by a snort from one of the men, who said no more after a solid elbow to the side from another guard.

Ahead of them lay a sprawling concrete building. The building was shaped like a 'V' and rose imposingly against the bleak landscape. The dull grey building had very few windows, all of which were heavily barred, and was surrounded by patrolling guardsmen who carried large guns. A barred gate provided another wall from society, a large fading sign on the gate read 'Belle Reve'. The lead guard stopped at a buzzer and spoke into it quietly, announcing his presence as he looked up into a security camera.

The gate screeched open slowly as the man stepped back and began to lead the group forward once again. The only sound was of footsteps as Harley was shepherded toward a large steel door, which was abruptly flung open and revealed a man. The man was dressed in all black, a kevlar vest was strapped to his and read 'Alpha 01'. A black baseball cap covered most of his short dark brown hair, a well maintained goatee and moustache adorned his face. The man was pale, with small eyes, Harley laughed at the sight of him, picturing the ways she would torment him.

"I'm the Senior Security Officer here. You can call me Griggs, crazy" He introduced, Harley flashed her teeth at the man, leaning forward, she was quickly jerked back into place. "Don't get to close too her" One of the men with blood dried around his wrist cuff said gruffly. "I bite" Harley said, winking boldly at Griggs, who smirked and turned around, leading the group into the dim hallway behind him.

The entire building was grey. The walls appeared damp, made of thick slabs of solid grey concrete and steel, the floor was cracked and dirty, a deeper shade of grey than the rest. Lights flickered bleakly above, with heavily locked doors dotting the grim hallway. "I like what you've done with the place" Harley chirped, feeling as though her damp and dirty appearance matched the interior perfectly.

Harley was led to a steel door, where Griggs stopped, halting the rest of the group. "Your _en suite"_ He said with a sarcastic grin. Harley was shoved in by two of the men, the room smelled of mould and damp concrete. A row of grey shower heads hung from a cracked grey tiled wall. The off white floor dipped into a small drain in the center of the room, the showers were barely separated from the room by a dirty frosted half wall divider, which looked to be made of a thick plastic.

The door slammed closed behind Harley as the men stood on either side of the door, guns raised. One of the men stepped forward and unstrapped the straight jacket from Harley, and quickly undid the shackles before stepping back into position. The other man reached out to his side, where a small plastic hook held held an orange jumpsuit and a thin white singlet, along with a threadbare towel that might once have been white. "Shower and change, no funny business" a guard said, throwing the items to Harley.

Harley caught the outfit and rolled her eyes, throwing it across the divider. "I should be telling you that, naughty boys. Are you looking for a show?" Harley asked, sugary sweet venom seeping through the musty air. Harley thought of Joker, and what he would do to these guards, as she undressed. A large smile on her face as she stood behind the divider and slid the ruined outfit from her body.

With a twist of the shower knob a stream of cold water gushed along Harleys body, despite the temperature she sighed and picked up a bottle of pale yellow soap. Lathering her hair and body Harley twisted and arched teasingly, watching from the side of her vision as the guards made half hearted attempts to stick to their rigorous training and not look at her teasing show. Harley laughed as she rinsed off, she enjoyed the cold, the chill reminded her of Joker; surrounding her in a comforting fog.

Harley remained lost in her mind as she dried and dressed; she missed her Puddin'. She pouted to herself, she hoped he would find her soon. She could guess from the swampland surrounding Belle Reve that she had not been meant to see, that she was somewhere in Louisiana. No one was smarter than her Mister J though, and she knew that between the two of them plotting, they would be reunited soon. Her thoughts of Joker dulled the ache in her heart that came with his absence, it was as though her physical body was twisting to get back to Joker, and the world of madness she belonged in.

The men shackled her hands and feet once again, and turned to the door, keying in a code and opening the door. The group of men outside had not moved as they got back into position surrounding Harley and making their way down the hallway, footsteps echoing strangely in the silent hall. Harley hummed a child's nursery rhyme slowly, laughing at the men who squared their shoulders at the creepy sound.

After heading to an elevator and travelling what seemed like down, Griggs stopped at a thick metal door, heavily bolted to the door with a small slot in the door covered by a sliding metal plate. Griggs unlocked various locks on the door before heaving the door open "Home sweet home" He mocked, motioning at the men to push Harley in the cell, where her restraints were removed quickly before men exited speedily and the door was slammed closed, the sounds of the locks fastening resonating through the room.

Harley glanced around the space; yet another shelf bed was covered by a thin plastic mattress, a small steel toilet without a seat sat in another corner, with an impossibly shall sink beside it. Walking around the small space Harley inspected every inch of the solid concrete walls and matching floor. All of the meager furniture was welded in place, with no possible items to be pulled off and made into weapons.

Lying on the mattress Harley kicked her legs into the air until only her upper back remained on the mattress, stretching and arching her body. Time was lost in space as Harley practiced what few acrobatic and gymnastic moves she could, before the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway from outside Harleys cell.

Moving on to her knees Harley slid from the bed and to the cell door, pressing her hands on either side of the slot on the door. The footsteps stopped outside Harleys door and the slot opened after a moment of hesitation. The young face of a guard jerked back slightly at the sight of Harley so close to the door. A beaming smile was on Harley's face as she studied the man. "Hi, I'm Harley. You coming to visit me?" She questioned pressing her forehead to the top of the opened slot in the door.

The man swallowed visibly before clearing his throat "Uh no, M-Ma'am. I'm here to deliver your meal" He said, holding a bowl of a greyish substance with the texture of oatmeal. A small plastic spoon accompanied the slop called food. Harley tilted her head "Don't you want to visit me? It's awful lonely in here. I'll play nice" She murmured, widening her smile. The guard glanced along the hall quickly before taking a small step closer pushing the bowl through the gap, which Harley grabbed quickly. "I'm not supposed to, I have rounds to do" He said.

Harley stuck her index finger into the bowl of what seemed to be oatmeal and sucked it slowly from her finger, watching the man's face flush. "But I could come back?" He said, his voice raising to a question at the end of his sentence. "You promise?" Harley said. The man nodded quickly, his head bobbing, blue eyes wide. "Good boy, we'll have fun" Harley added, stepping back. The man took one last glance at Harley before closing the slot and walking away.

Harley laughed loudly and bitterly, placing the slop down on the shelf of a bed. It was her luck that they would send some gullible newbie to her cell, he would be easy to tear apart. Maybe she would use him a little while longer, she considered, sticking a spoon of tasteless mush into her mouth with a frown. She ate quickly, shoveling the food in without tasting it. She wanted to be back in her kitchen with Joker so badly she felt a pang in her chest.

Days passed before the same young guard from the first day showed up again. Harley sidled forward toward the door as the slot opened and his anxious face appeared. "Harley?" He called, as she stepped into view "Are you gonna play with me today?" She asked, reaching a hand through the door and running it down his stubbled cheek.

Lust replaced the concern in his eyes as he slowly unlocked the door, stepping into the room and locking the door behind him. He stood hesitantly in front of the door as Harley moved closer to him. With a small laugh Harley took his hand, tugging him forward, his eyes were dazed, locked on Harley as she tugged him further into the room. "What's your name?" Harley questioned, her voice low.

"Jake Kipper" He responded, eyes low as he took in Harley's body. " _Kippy"_ Harley sung, lacing her arms around Jake's neck. He exhaled sharply at the contact, and stepped forward closer to her. "Let's play a game Kippy" Harley said, watching him closely, a manic smile on her face. Jake nodded quickly, leaning forward. Harley ran her hands down from his neck to his belt, causing a breath of air to leave him as he closed his eyes.

Abruptly Harley snatched the gun from it's Holster on his belt, raising it to Jake. The man's eyes flew open and morphed into terror "Fuck" He swore, glancing at the exit. "I'll tell you what Kippy, our game is going to be a little test. We're going to test my aim" Harley laughed, spinning quickly she raised a hand to cover her eyes. "You have three seconds to get out the door before I start firing" Harley called. Without hesitation Jake ran for the door. "One…" Harley sung listening to the man scramble for his keys.

With a twirl Harley turned back around, hand still over her eyes and fired. Jakes hands flew to his throat, as blood began spurting from his neck. His knees gave out as Harley laughed "Oops, I must be terrible at counting. I'm a little impatient" She said, unloading another bullet between his eyes. Dropping the gun Harley moved forward and tugged the pens from his pocket. Checking his remaining pocket Harley found a packet of cigarettes and a lighter "These things will kill you, you know" Harley chided the body, with a mock serious expression on her face.

With a hop over the now lifeless body, Harley sat on the shelf bed and tugged the orange jumpsuit from her body, leaving her in white underwear and a white singlet. Twisting the pens open Harley tugged the spring free from the plastic and straightened it with her teeth. Running the flame of the lighter over the metal, Harley lowered it to her thighs and began carving her designs, revelling in her work, the sting was reminiscent of Joker tattooing her for the first time.

Satisfied with her work Harley flicked her teeth out as a small amount of blood trickled down her thigh. Using her jumpsuit to wipe away the blood; Harley pulled the ink free from the pen, breaking off the plastic tip with her teeth she poured the ink into the marks, rubbing it in as she sung loudly. Quickly dampening the sleeve of her jumpsuit from the trickling stream of the sink, Harley sat back down and wiped the excess ink from her skin. Gazing down at her new tattoos she beamed. Etched onto her skin was a scrawl of girlish handwriting reading "I 'heart' Puddin', a couple of her signature Harlequin diamonds, and the words 'I'll wait forever'. Marking a single line for the week she had been kept apart from her world.

Harley tucked the pieces of pen underneath her mattress before tugging her jumpsuit on, tying the sleeves together around her hips. Lying back on the bed Harley thought of Jokers tattooing. He was much better than her, every design she asked for he provided wonderfully. He had even allowed her to pick out one of his tattoos; to which she had requested he tattoo her Harlequin diamond on his side. Joker had laughed wildly but had done as she suggested. A small tattoo, it was printed onto his side, just below his waist. His side, where Harley belonged.

Smiling at her reminiscing, Harley ran a hand over her thigh, they could try separate Harley from Joker but he would come for her. Or she would kill everyone and escape, another voice in her mind spoke up. Harley laughed at the thought, listening as quick footsteps echoed down the hall. "The cavalry is here, Kippy" Harley sung, swinging her feet from the bed and standing. Making her way forward Harley picked up the gun and held it behind her back.

The slot on the door swung open with a protesting squeak, and a pair of dark eyes appeared. The man glanced at Harley before flickering down to the body on the floor. Swear words fell from his lips as he raised his radio to his lips and spoke frantically into the receiver. A crackling followed by muffled words came soon after. Harley beamed and stepped closer "Don't move" He commanded gruffly. Harley pouted, "Don't you want to play with me too?" Harley asked, bouncing forward. The man shook his head "You're a psycho, lady. Worse than that boyfriend of yours" He argued.

Harley whipped the gun forward with glare and fired through the slot "That wasn't nice" She growled, listening to the heavy sound of the man's body dropping lifelessly to the floor. Popping the clip, Harley checked her ammo, it was empty. Rolling her eyes she threw the gun on top of Jake's body "You didn't refill the clip, Kippy. And they call me crazy" She said aloud.

Heavy sounds of booted feet running down the hallway echoed into her room, a deep voice swore, seemingly at the sight of the dead guard outside her door, before the locks to her room clicked open. The door swung open and a group of guards entered with raised guns. With a glance at the ground a voice Harley recognized as Griggs' swore once again "Kipper". "You know these thick walls really do muffle sound" Harley said. "Why the Hell is Kipper in your cell, crazy?" Griggs asked, motioning towards the man with a foot.

Harley rolled her eyes "I don't think he is" She decided, beaming smile in place, her eyes ice cold. One of the other guards stepped forward "He's right there Quinn, why the Hell is he in here?" He asked, his voice frustrated. "I don't see him" Harley sung, enjoying the way a vein on his forehead bulged as she spoke.

"With me, Crazy. Ames get the bodies out of here. Lincoln, follow me, guard her" Griggs commanded, cuffing Harley's hands behind her and shackling her feet. The men jumped into action as Harley was lead down the dim hallway to yet another thick metal door. Griggs unlocked it and shoved Harley inside. "You have blood on you, undress" He said, a smirk on his face as the other man locked the door and moved forward to uncuff Harley.

"Back against the wall" Ames instructed, stepping back and raising his gun. Harley laughed at the men, venom in her voice. Stripping slowly Harley sighed "Sure you won't come play me, Griggsy?" Harley asked, images of pounding his head into the grey tiled floor filling her eyes. Griggs shook his head with a chuckle, his eyes never leaving Harley as she remained in her white singlet and underwear.

Standing against the wall, Harley turned to face the guards. Griggs picked up a large hose, and pointed it at Harley. "Can't have you killing my men, hotness" He said, turning the nozzle of the hose. A blast of ice cold water hit Harley, stinging her skin.

With a gasp Harley began laughing, her voice spluttering as she attempted to spit the water from her mouth, her eyes closed tightly.

Harley sank into her mind, picturing Joker and his glorious laugh. Harley hadn't thought she could love his smile more, before he had told her the true story of how his silver grin had come to be. In the very late night, Harley and Joker had tumbled into bed after a long night at the club. Kissing roughly, Harley had run her teeth along his teeth, darting her tongue back before he could bite her.

Resting her head on his lap Harley had gazed up at him, admiring the most beautiful man she had ever met. "What's the real story of how you got your grill, Puddin'?" Harley had asked, watching Joker's eyes flicker across the ceiling as he rolled his head slightly. "Hmm?" He had said, attention snapping to Harley. " _Batman_ is to thank for this one, my _Harlequin._ So _self-righteous._ I killed the annoyance that was Robin, he smashed my teeth in. Oooh he wanted to kill me" Joker had said, laughing loudly. Harley had pressed kissed to his mouth "I like the silver teeth Mister J" She had informed him, beaming at him.

Harley began to think of the story he had told her of how he had killed Robin, when she was pushed from her thoughts by the sudden absence of water. Painting her beaming smile on, Harley suppressed the shivers that threatened to take over her pale skin, places flushed pink from the force of the water. Spitting a mouthful of water through her teeth at Griggs she laughed as it spurted down his pant legs. "You're mental, sweetheart" He said, eyes low on the soaked singlet Harley wore.

Harley snatched a towel from the floor, though it was slightly damp she dried herself slowly, making a show of it. She knew that soon enough Griggs would give in and approach her; all men who looked at her like he did, would eventually. When that time came she would make a real show of painting the walls with his blood, the place could use a little colour.

Without putting the jumpsuit back on, Harley was re-cuffed and lead back to her cell. Once Ames had lead her in and uncuffed her, he backed out of the cell, never turning his back on her; with Griggs' aiming his gun at her. Ames threw a jumpsuit at her, identical to her last one, before leaving and locking the door. Harley dressed in the jumpsuit, feeling the cheap material on her stinging skin. She didn't mind the cold, and pain was laughable, but it gave her a place to hide her weapons, should the opportunity to obtain any arise.

Lying back onto her poor excuse of a bed, Harley glanced around the now empty cell, where the body had been cleared away. Closing her eyes, Harley began her usual humming, the sound mimicking the funhouse tune in her head; her mind may be psychotic, but it was her second favourite place to be.


	26. Chapter Twenty Six

**Author's Note: A very short chapter, it is just a small piece of her time here that needed to come before the next chapter. To make up for this short chapter I will post the next one in the next couple days. This one I think shows more of Harleys thoughts and feelings truly towards Joker. I think it's important to show that Harley is not brainwashed by Joker, she is a Queen in her own right; and she will stand by her King. This chapter should be pretty fast paced, I wanted to show how very** _ **bad**_ **the 'good' guys will be in the name of progress. Possibly in the next two chapters Joker will have his POV. A massive thank you to readers, reviewers, favouriters, and followers; you are the reason I continue this story.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Twenty Six.**_

Harley did not know how much time had passed. She tried to keep track, adding a line to her tattooed collection on her leg whenever she felt a week had passed; but they days blurred together. Her thoughts of Joker were constant, she needed to be back where she belonged, she had never belonged anywhere but with him.

The guards had been warned about her, told to be wary, they delivered the slop they called food in pairs now. Sitting on the cold floor, Harley reminisced on her time with Joker. No one understood him like she did, that had been true since their therapy sessions all that time ago. She had never been happy, truly happy until she had met him. He made her strong, he forced nothing and expected nothing but for her to act without inhibition. She loved him more than life, and she would take life from anyone who kept them apart.

The slot on the door slid open abruptly, Griggs' face appearing on the other side of the cell door. "Up you get, Sexy. You have a visit with a _shrink_ " He called, his ever present smirk on his face. Harley laughed loudly at this. A therapist? How interesting, Joker would laugh loudly when she told him about this. Bounding to a standing position, Harley sidled up to the door. "That's _funny_!" Harley called, waiting as the locks on the door were undone. The door was pushed open and Harley was met with the usual guns and guard's.

Harley was quickly shackled, and lead from the cell with a large group of heavily armed men surrounding her. The journey was short, and Harley soon found herself chained to a steel chair, a metal table in front of her, with a matching chair remained empty as three guards stood silently at the edges of the room. The room itself was as plain as the others in Belle Reve, though cheap wooden panels covered the cold concrete walls here. A pair of overhead lights struggled to illuminate the room with a flickering yellow glow.

A man entered the room, short with a prominent belly covered by a classic grey suit. He swiped a hand across his thin brown hair as he entered the room, his ruddy face blank of expression. He took the seat across from Harley, shuffling through some papers he set them down on the table and pulled out a shining black pen. "My name is Doctor Morris, I've been asked to come and ask you some questions" He said, finally looking up at Harley.

Harley laughed slowly "I know how this works Morris. You wanna _play_ with me?" Harley asked. Floods of thoughts ran through her as she stared at the man. She did not want to be here; the only person she had therapy with was Joker. Morris cleared his throat thickly and wrote quickly. "Would you call yourself Joker's girlfriend, Miss Quinzel?" He asked.

Harley rolled her eyes "It's Harley _Quinn._ Joker is mine and I am his" She stated, shifting in her seat, the movement causing the guard's to tense. Morris hummed, transcribing what she wrote. "Your crimes are numerous; theft, murder, arson, terrorism, to name a few. What made you turn to crime? You were a respected Doctor" He pushed forward.

Harley threw her head back with a groan "Your questions are boring. I'm _bad,_ it's what I do" Harley answered, her face devoid of it's usual smile. "You weren't always bad" Morris argued, never stopping with his note taking. Harley pushed forward in her seat, bringing her head as far forward as she could "I was always bad on the inside. My Mister J let me become my _real_ self" She said, before laughing and leaning backwards; she knew his type, the small amount of information she gave would excite him beyond anything else.

Morris' hand flew across the page as he copied what she said. "You think you can _fix_ me Doc? There's nothing to fix" Harley added. Morris sniffed and looked back up "I believe you have been brain washed, you have no control over your situation. Perhaps offset by something in your childhood, you have no ability to control your behaviours due to a weak willpower" Morris stated, sounding as though he was voicing his thoughts aloud.

Harley pouted "You don't think I have will power?" She teased. Morris sighed "I'm going to try Electroconvulsive Therapy with you, I think the outlook on this treatment with you will be promising in removing Jokers control on you" He said, sounding as though he was discussing the weather. Harley was silent for a moment before she began laughing, slowly getting louder. Harley jerked in her chair "Let's _play!_ " Harley shouted. Thrills ran through Harley as she was uncuffed from the chair and lead from the room.

Harley jerked in the hold of the guards, who held her firmly as they tugged her down the hallway and into the elevator. Harley laughed maniacally as she was moved from the elevator and down another hallway; which she struggled to see much of surrounded by the bodies of the guards. They were going to _shock_ her brain.

Thoughts of her time with Joker in the ECT room at Arkham Asylum flooded her brain. She could handle it. She handled it the first time because she is _strong_ she told herself. But Joker was not there this time. Joker was not showing her what he went through, this time, because Harley knew then as she knew now, that Joker wanted to her to understand him. He wanted her to _prove_ how strong she was. She would show them aswell, for Joker, she would show them that she was worthy of being the Queen of Gotham.

With the sounds of door locks coming undone, Harley was in yet another grey room, this time a table stood in the center of the room; equipment Harley recognised as Electroconvulsive therapy devices stood to the side. The men lifted Harley onto the table, three strapped her down while the rest filed from the room; locking it behind them. Testing the straps, Harley twisted her body, the cool metal of the table pressed against her skin.

Morris stood at Harleys side, fiddling with the equipment. "You understand how this works, Harley. Normally patients are to be sedated before-" Harley interrupted by laughing sharply "Before you try to _fry_ my brain, I don't need no sedation. Do it. Do it, do it, do it" Harley sung lowly, never breaking eye contact with Morris. The Doctor did not say a word as he pulled a mouth guard from the steel tray beside him. Pressing the piece into Harley's mouth, he glanced to the side, eyeing the stoic guards. "It has been requested that I perform this treatment on you. I would never normally rush this on the first session, but, well..." He said, seemingly trying to distance himself from his future actions.

Harley stared into his eyes, daring him to proceed. He blinked quickly and looked away, picking up the instruments and holding them to the sides of Harley's head. He seemed curious, Harley thought, maybe he had a little _bad_ in him too. Slowly Morris reached one hand back and pressed a couple switches on the machine, causing a low hum to emanate through the room. Harley steeled herself as he brought both hands back into position, before pressing the instruments to Harley's head.

The current hit Harley all at once, her body jerked into seizure motions as she felt a laugh escape her crazily. She welcomed the pain, it was familiar, yet different. Her mind drifted backwards, darkness seeping around the edges of the usual bright colours of her mind. Memories floated in pieces through her mind, the sound disjointed and mismatched.

Harley latched onto thoughts of Joker and abruptly he appeared. The world was dark, floating, it did not exist; but Joker was there. Joker was real, before her, he was dressed as he had been when she had last seen him; so beautiful he was otherworldly. "Puddin'" She breathed, reaching for him. He flickered as she neared, his laugh drifting to her like music. "I don't like people touching my things, _Harlequin_ " He rasped, the wide smile on his face a promise of death "We're going to, uh, tear them up" He continued. Harley beamed at him, her laughter joining his.

Abruptly he was gone, Harley felt her heartbreak once again at his absence. Memories of what seemed like a lifetime ago, from before she had even been Doctor Harleen Quinzel flashed before her, images of the _bad_ men her mother had brought around and the things they had done. Harley tried to close her eyes, but how could she inside her own mind? The memories faded little by little, Harley found it hard to recall the details that had been so vividly burned into her brain when she had been Harleen Quinzel. A scream ripped from Harleys throat, turning into a wild laugh.

The pain faded, and Harley jerked her eyes open, looking up at the man who was most definitely _not_ her Mister J. "Double dare you to do it again, _Doc_ " Harley hissed, laughing wildly. The pain and confusion in her mind had the colours swirl brighter in her head, shapes twisting into thoughts that made her laugh in the chaos of it all. Harley felt an anger burning within her, she had seen Joker, she needed to be with him. He understood, he would help her make these people _pay._

Morris stared at her in worry, doubt seeping into his eyes. She could see him realising that she could not be twisted back into the shell of a person she had been Before. "How are you feeling, Harley?" He asked, a shaking hand smoothing his paisley tie. Harley jerked her body, slamming it back down onto the table "When Mister J finds out what you did he's going to make you hurt real bad" Harley stated. More laughter bubbled from her lips at the words. They thought they could shock Joker from her brain, Harley realised, what fools.

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 **Extra Author's Note: To the couple of people who have mentioned it, I can add more smut in one of two ways; I can either start another series of one shots (Where I will also add chapters from the start of story of other character interactions/anything else that has been requested that I think works but that has not been added to the story) or I can put it in a dream/flashback. Otherwise you will have to wait until after I've finished all the way through the Movie plot. Please let me know what you think of this.**


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven

**Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews/favourites/follows readers, it makes me happy. Okay so I was originally going to put Joker's POV in this but it didn't flow right, so I'm going to put it up next. I don't think I should need to say that some scenes in this story may disturb you, given who this is about, but just in case 'some scenes in this may disturb you'. Let me know what you think, I struggled a lot with getting the wording of this chapter to match my mental image.**

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 _ **C hapter Twenty Seven.**_

Harley awoke to what she assumed was the next day, as there was nothing but the flickering artificial light above her, with a pounding headache and a burning sense of spite. Her conversation with Joker yesterday, though not real, had reminded her who she was. She would show the Doctor how wrong he was about her being weak willed, she would show them how crazy she really was. They did not own her.

The slamming of the slot of the door opening had Harley raising to her knees and sliding from the shelf of a bed to the door. Griggs' face appeared behind the door, small eyes sparkling with dark amusement "Soups on" He snarked, shoving a plate of Nutraloaf into view through the slot in the door. Harley swayed in place, as though thinking deeply. Picking the mound of prison food up Harley pressed herself forward, moving her mouth close to the door as though about to kiss Griggs', who watched on with a smirk.

Abruptly Harley threw the Nutraloaf through the slot in the door, laughing madly as it hit his face, crumbling wetly on impact. Griggs' gasped, shaking his head and attempting to brush the disgusting mash of food from his face. "I do what I want, when I want. Tell the _Doctor_ that I'm not eating until he says sorry" Harley said, flashing her teeth at griggs, who was now glaring through the door. "You crazy bitch. You'll be begging to eat by tomorrow" He hissed. Harley rolled her eyes as Griggs slammed closed the slot on the door. Harley laughed to herself once more, she would show him what kind of _will_ she really had.

True to her word Harley refused any of the slop shoved into her cell for the next two days; the hunger pangs doing very little to deter her. Harley took to singing loudly instead of answering to whichever guard tried to tempt or threaten her into eating; Lesley Gore's classic 'You Don't Own Me' quickly became her favourite to sing, it seemed to get the biggest rise from the guard's.

" _I_ _'m free and I love to be free. To live my life the way I want. To say and do whatever I please"_ Harley sung loudly, smile in place as she heard heavy booted footsteps head towards her cell. There was moment of hesitation before the slot on the door slid open, revealing Doctor Morris' anxious face. Harley remained where she was, sat cross legged in the centre of the floor of her cell, though she switched to humming instead of singing. The concrete floor scraped her bare skin, as she was not wearing the orange jumpsuit normally assigned to her.

Tugging on the end of her hair, Harley pouted internally. Her hair was getting too long, the beautiful pink and blue sections of hair had faded with the growth. "Harley? I hear you have not been eating" Morris called. Harley tilted her head and moved to kneel, raising ever so slowly to stand. "Say sorry real nicely and I'll eat" Harley replied, stepping closer to the door.

Morris looked conflicted, his face flushed despite the chilled air of the Prison. "I apologise Harley" He muttered, looking as though the words tasted bitter in his mouth. "Sorry for…" Harley trailed, enjoying the discomfort the man showed. "I apologise for the electroconvulsive therapy, it was ordered-" He began, Harley cut his words off with a snort "No, no, no. Say sorry for saying I have no will power" Harley chided.

Morris spluttered for a moment, before trying in vain to pull his composure together "That's what this is about? But that's… I apologise, you do not have a weak will. You must eat" Morris finally choked out. Harley laughed in delight "And you thought I had a weak will? You fold so _easily._ No fun at all Doc'" Harley sighed, thrilled at the red cheeks of the man.

"Now you must eat" He spoke loudly, feebly trying to reign in control. "I must, must I?" Harley considered. "No. You don't tell me what to do" Harley said after a moment, sneering slightly at the man before laughing. Morris stepped back from the door, turning to someone out of sight "This is impossible! She's insane. I'll sign the papers" He said, frustration staining his tone, as he took one last glance at Harley before moving down the hall.

Griggs' appeared after a moment, a glint in his eye that promised pain "We're going to do this the hard way then" He said, his voice low and darkly amused. He stood back and unlocked the door, shoving it open he motioned the usual large group of armed guard's into the room, their guns raised as he shackled Harley and shoved her from the room. "You're going to learn who's in charge" He said lowly, his head near Harleys ear. Harley turned and snapped her teeth at his face before she was abruptly grabbed by two of the larger guard's and yanked forward.

Harley was lead into a large, dim hallway, with nothing but a chair covered by thick straps. Locked doorways lined the area that seemed to glow blue in the poor lighting. The guards shoved Harley to the cold ground against the grim concrete walls, where she pulled her knees to the side and laughed, running a finger against her lip where she had bitten it as she went down, tasting the metallic hint of blood from her lips. A buzzing echoed through the hall as a gated wall slid open, revealing a woman pushing a steel tray down the hall.

The woman came to a creaking halt beside the chair. She looked to be one of the nurses of Belle Reve, dressed in dark green scrubs with messy brown hair pulled back into a bun, her face was devoid of expression. Griggs pulled Harley from the ground and shoved her into the chair, he called for two of the six other guard's to hold Harley in place in the chair as the rest spread out along the hall. Griggs made quick work of strapping Harley's hands, feet, and forehead into place, finally strapping a crossing harness across her torso. Harley thrashed her body slightly, finding herself unable to move. Harley opened her mouth to spit threats at Griggs, only to have a ball gag shoved into her open mouth "You're hotter when you don't talk" Griggs mocked lowly as he fastened the ties around her head.

"Oh you're not going to like this" Griggs said to Harley, holding her face still as the nurse picked up a long, clear, thin tube from the tray in her gloved hands. She hesitated for a moment, before moving to the front of Harley, carefully avoiding her eyes. She pressed the tube to Harleys nose, then began threading it down Harley's nostril and down her esophagus. Harley choked and gagged as the pipe forced its way down to her stomach, closing her eyes she attempted to pull her head back from the awful sensation, only to be jerked still by Griggs. Though her eyes burned with moisture at the hideous sensation, she did not cry.

Unable to close her mouth, Harley could not fight the tube down her throat. The nurse tapped the tube in place before turning to the table and preparing a large syringe, tearing it from a plastic packet. From the corner of her eye Harley read the label of one of the three cans, 'Forcevite' was the bold label; followed by smaller print that announced that it was a total meal replacement. Harley felt anger burning in her stomach at the sight, she would tear them apart for force feeding her.

Griggs moved to kneel beside Harley, on the opposite side of the tray and blank faced nurse. Harleys fists tightened with the desire to smash his teeth down his throat. "You got a choice tonight! What have we got here? We got chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla" He said, his face filled with amusement as Harley glared from the corner of her eyes. The nurse did not wait for instruction as she mixed what seemed to be the strawberry Forcevite into a dish and sucked it into an enormous syringe.

The nurse picked up the end of the tube leading down Harleys nose and attached it to the syringe, slowly she began to depress the plunger, sending the horendous pink mixture up the tube. "You see, my job is to keep you alive until you die. You understand that?" Griggs said, staring into Harley's stinging eyes as she fought the tube forcefully pumping the vile mixture into her stomach. Harley whined involuntarily at the sensation of the mixture forcing through to her stomach; her chest ached, and her nose and eyes stung.

The anger within her burned deeper at the degradation. Griggs pulled his phone from his pocket with a smirk, turning the camera on Harley and himself as she gasped for oxygen around the pain. Sticking out his tongue he pulled a face to the camera "Ahhhh!" He mocked her gasps quietly "Spring break!" He added, snapping pictures of Harley and himself. As the last of the mixture emptied from the tube, the nurse stepped forward once again, pulling the tape from Harley's face she began threading the tube back out from Harleys nose.

The tube burned as it was pulled from Harleys body, she gagged at the sensation, her eyes watering. Swallowing back bile around the gag, Harley gasped once again as the tube was pulled free from her. Griggs laughed and pulled the gag from Harley's mouth "Bon appetit" He teased. Harley ran her tongue along her teeth, tasting coppery blood on her gums from the gag.

Harley said nothing for once as the guard's led the nurse away before coming back to unstrap Harley, who remained slumped in the chair; as though too weak to hold herself up. Once the restraints were removed, the guard's pulled Harley to a standing position, easing up on their usual security with her weakened stance. The anger inside Harley boiled over, she let out a maddened scream before launching herself at the nearest guard.

Harley wrapped her thighs around the man's throat, pulling her weight backwards to send the man crashing to the ground. With no mercy Harley pushed her body into an arch backwards, once in a handstand position she sent her feet back down; directly onto the guards head. Two more of the guard's rushed at Harley, guns raised, as she launched herself back upwards and at the men. Twisting and spinning so the men could not shoot at her without risking hitting one of their own, Harley attacked. Powerful kicks and punches sent one man stumbling into the nearby wall with an audible crunch as he slumped to the ground.

The other man's throat was met by Harleys teeth as he attempted to fire a shot at her. Biting down viciously, Harley ripped a good chunk of his skin out, warm blood stained her as he screamed, clutching at the wound as he fell back. Harley laughed wildly, enjoying the suffering of the men who dared to treat her as they had. Griggs and another one of the guard's stood at the gate, radios in hand as they spoke urgently, calling for medical help and back up. Turning to the last guard near her, who was kneeled beside one of the fallen guard's trying to wake him,

Harley grasped his head and began beating it into the ground. Grunts of exertion left Harley as the man fell still, his desperate attempts to push Harley off him stopping. Panting in laughter Harley felt herself being grabbed firmly from behind, Griggs calling orders to the now crowded hallway as medical staff rushed to the men, while three more restrained Harley. The guard's held Harleys upper arms to her side, yanking her easily upwards and away from the commotion in painful bruising grips.

With one final burst of rage, Harley managed to grasp the wrist of one of the men holding her, with a vicious twist displaying some of her immensely surprising strength, there was a sickening crack; followed by a sharp scream of pain. The men finally managed to restrain Harley in handcuffs and shackles, and pulled her from the hallway. Harley was thrown back into her cell harshly, where she hit the ground with a thump. Harleys shackles were not removed, as a final clanging sound signalled that the cell door had been closed. Shifting awkwardly, Harley brought her hands around to the front of her body, then moved to a seated position.

With closed eyes Harley rocked for a moment, swallowing down the churning mixture in her stomach, she began filling her head with the memory of when Joker had taught her how to use some of the more obscure weapons in his vast collection. He was a master of weaponry, Harley could watch him display his weapons skills forever.

It had been early in the evening, as Harley and Joker both favoured the nighttime they lived almost nocturnally. Joker had taken Harley to the underground level of his house, walking through the gym and to a locked door. He had pushed the door open with a flourish; revealing a large brightly lit room. The room was all white, lined with shelves and cupboards containing what seemed like every weapon conceivable.

Harley had stood in the middle of the room beaming as Joker pulled out a machine gun, mockingly pointing it at Harley for a moment, before replacing it and pulling out a duffel bag from one of the cupboards "Like a, uh, kid in a candy store. Pick some out, _baby_ " He had rasped, watching silently as Harley took the bag and placed a number of weapons into it, including a machine gun, throwing stars, grenades, and what appeared to be a small harpoon style gun.

The night had been one of her favourites, Joker had taken her around town to show her how to use the various weapons; those who had crossed Joker had become unwilling targets for the mayhem. Joker's laughter rang in her ears with the ghost of the sound the grenade had made when tossed onto the ship of a man who had been smuggling drugs in Jokers area.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the door sliding open. The guard's had riot gear this time, large plastic shields were clutched by a couple of the men. Griggs and another man stood in front of the shielded guard's, they moved quickly, tugging Harley to a standing position and yanking her forward without a word. "Another field trip?" Harley teased, not showing any weakness as she watched the men, who warily avoided stepping too close to her.

"Shut it" The guard who clutched her arm said, giving her a tug that may have made her fall had she not had such good reflexes. "Rude" Harley huffed, as she was yet again pushed into an elevator. Soon Harley was being pulled down yet another hallway, a large steel gate blocked off the hall behind it, it was unlocked by Griggs quickly. The shadowed hallway identical to all the others in the building was soon blocked by yet another large barred gate. This must be the high security wing, she realised.

Two men stepped ahead to unlock the gate, with a buzz the gate was pushed open to reveal a large concrete room dotted with secured double doors. The room revealed two stories, a large metal staircase leading up to the second story which was not walled off from view as most areas of Belle Reve were. The middle of room held a large metal cage, a little smaller than her cell. The cage was surrounded by yet another chain link fence topped with coiling barbed wire. While the area was as grey and drab as the rest of Belle Reve, the high roof held a small section of thick, grimy glass that would filter watery natural light to the area below.

While Harley assessed the room, noting the guard's roving the upper landing section, and the guard's who had remained standing on either side of the gate leading into the room, Griggs unlocked the the large chain link gate on the fence around the cage. Pulling Harley into the small area around the cage, two men secured the gate once again while Harley was unshackled. Griggs pulled Harley in front of him, pressing her stomach to the bars while he unlocked the cage.

When Harley made to attack Griggs for daring to touch her, she was abruptly held in place by the two guard's remaining in the space with her. Once the cage door was opened, Harley was pushed inside harshly, the gate closed behind her with a slam. Turning, Harley pulled herself up close to the bars, wrapping her hands around them. The guard's had opened the gate of the fence surrounding her cell, but were waiting for Griggs, who remained standing near Harley.

"Enjoy your new cage, crazy. You get bathroom breaks twice a day." He said, his small eyes appearing dark in the light, his wide smile revealing yellowing teeth. Harley smiled at him, reaching her hand through the cage abruptly and grabbing his collar, she slammed his head into the metal bars. Before she could do any true damage, Griggs managed to jerk away, a glare in place as he stepped backwards, out of her reach. "You sleep on the floor" He said, before turning and barking orders at the men, exiting the area with the firm sound of locks clicking behind him.

Harley turned and studied the area, true to his word there was no bedding or furniture in the area. A small pile of blankets were thrown in one corner of the cage, with nothing else. Harley glanced up at the caged roof above her, staring through the small window ahead at her first glance of the sky in a long time. An idea occurred to Harley as she considered her new cell, she could be back swinging through the air.

Moving to the corner of the cell, Harley sat down and pulled he pile of sheets towards her. As she had suspected they were little more than long rags, the ends frayed and dirty. Harley laughed as began tearing pieces of the cloth into long strips, braiding the pieces together at the ends to form a long sheet, strong enough for the purpose she had made it. They would never be able to control her entirely, she thought as she studied her work, she was _the_ Harlequin. No one controlled her.

Harley threw the sheet around her neck like a scarf, with a flourish. She wrapped her hands around the bars experimentally, judging her grip on the strong bars. Harley hauled herself up suddenly, using her momentum to scale up the bars. Once at the top, Harley pressed her feet against the bars, rocking her body outwards she launched herself to the top of the cage. Hanging on to the top of the cage Harley smiled, threading her legs through the bars and looping them to hold her weight, she let her hands go and hung upside down.

Pulling her torso up, Harley grabbed the end of the sheet and tied it firmly to the bar. Yanking on the sheet until she was satisfied that it would hold, Harley moved on to tie the other end of the modified sheet, hanging it like a hammock. Harley grabbed the sheet firmly, before unlooping her legs and dropping her weight down onto the sheet. Harley cheered for herself internally as she remained in the air, swinging on the rope. Moving upwards Harley tugged her body up onto the sheet, splaying it out as wide as it would go to hold her torso and head.

With her arms and legs dangling to the ground below, Harley looked up at the murky windows above her, staring at the navy blue sky. It must be close to morning, she thought, realising that this was the first hint of what the time was that she had seen in a long time. At this thought, Harley laughed aloud, time passing only meant it was closer to the day when Joker would find her.

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 **** **Little** **author's note that you don't need to read: Forced tube feeding (particularly in prisons, I am aware it is sometimes necessary in hospital situations under very different conditions) does still happen, and has long since been considered by many as a torture method. If you want a little more insight read up on it, or watch the video on Youtube of Yasiin Bey subjecting himself to the Guantanamo Bay forced feeding procedure, I'll warn now, it is hard to watch.**


	28. Chapter Twenty Eight

**Author's Note: Woo at passing 150 pages in my Word document with this story. The chapter is pretty fast paced, and ends pretty abruptly, but Joker is a quick, abrupt man in situations like this so the pace kind of matched to his mood. This isn't very long but it is difficult to write as Joker for extended periods of time. He's more out of his mind than usual in this one, but I will probably add another chapter of his POV in somewhere, if the reception to this chapter is good. I am going to have fun with twisting the events of suicide squad to add in my little changes and additions so don't worry, it should be interesting rather than just a carbon copy of the movie. Cheers to all the readers, reviewers, subscribers, and favouriters.**

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 _ **Chapter Twenty Eight.**_

Black smoke billowed from the shattered windows of the building, glowing fingers of orange and red flame licked the exterior of the blackening brick building, reaching towards the dark night sky. Joker watched for a moment longer, laughing slowly at the panicked calls from within. Attendees of the Policeman's ball still standing after the explosion stumbled from the inferno, choking in the cool air, their once elegant formal wear now stained with soot, torn and burnt.

Stepping into the car, Joker motioned for his most loyal henchman to depart. Frost complied, peeling off into the night, away from the urgent sirens arriving at the scene. "Think they learnt their lesson, Frost?" Joker questioned, his tone even, though his eyes glinted with a crazed malice. Frost glanced sideways at Joker, judging his bosses expression. "Maybe. They don't retain the lessons well" Frost replied, his usual cool tone in place.

Joker laughed madly, raising his hand so that his tattooed grin covered his true smile. Jokers head spun more than usual, he did _not_ like people touching his things, and Harley was most definitely his. He did not rest while she was gone, he would not, until she was back. "Where are you on finding her? I don't like waiting" Joker said, his face blank, eyes heavily lidded, he tilted his head back and forth; thinking through what he would do to retrieve her, always ten steps ahead.

Frost did not need to look at Joker to gauge his mood this time, Joker had always been insane, but the demonic level his crazed insanity had risen to since Harley had been taken was almost tangible. "I'm following a lead, there's a man to see later who will give up some valuable information" Frost said, turning the car into the garage of Jokers house. Frost was the only man other than Harley aloud at the property now, anyone else was likely to be killed by Joker in a fit of boiling rage, seemingly at random.

"Good" Joker rasped "You're back here straight after. More _business_ to attend to" Joker order, his slow laughter chilling the air as he exited the car, standing still as he watched Frost peel out of the garage. Joker swayed on the spot for a moment, thoughts in his head twisting angrily. A voice interrupted his thoughts "Hey, ah boss? I left my gun here. I just-" Joker pulled his gun out and shot the man without a second thought, he laughed slowly as the body of one foolish henchman fell to the ground, before letting out a growl and unloading his clip into the man.

Breathing heavily for a moment, Joker slicked his hair back, resuming his cool demeanor. As Joker made his way up to his apartment, thoughts of Harley filled his mind. He hadn't originally planned on keeping her around longer than it took to have her break him out of Arkham Asylum, but somewhere along the way she had crept into his soul and part of her enchanting madness had entwined to his black insanity. She was the Queen of his Kingdom. A part of him was spiteful towards her, he hadn't believed he had the want or capacity to maintain any form of relationship, it would be simpler for him to forget about her and leave her where she was. He would get her back, she was a his, and he would make all who had kept her from him pay dreadfully.

Joker stood in his living room, pieces of Harleys existence had crept into his life. Her trophies in the form of watches scattered through the area, a couple books she had been reading left in the places she had last put them down. Staring at the display case that held her Harlequin suit, his reflection stared back, no smile in place. Picking up a black eyeliner of Harleys from a bag of hers nearby, he stared at his reflection as her drew the outline of a smile onto his face, laughing crazily at the sight. Violent thoughts pulsed in Joker's mind, the chaos they would cause when she returned would be at a level Gotham had not yet known. The violent thoughts eased his storming mind, there were so many thoughts screaming in his own voice inside his mind he sometimes became lost in them, a spinning merry go round of madness.

Moving to his office, Joker picked up one of his guns imaging the ways in which he would use it to make Gotham pay for their sins against the King, he placed it on the ground and moved to his next weapon. One by one Joker picked up his vast weaponry, placing it on the ground in a circular pattern, covering the floor as he thought through how exactly those who had wronged him would pay with each weapon. Joker left a trail clear from the circular space in the middle of the room to the door. Picking his way over the collection he easily lifted a case of bottles up from his desk, lining the room of weaponry and ammunition with bottles of alcohol, most half empty.

Keeping a bottle of whiskey he sat himself in the middle of his creation, the safest place for him, the most deadly for anyone to catch him in the wrong mood, which was mostly always since Harley had pulled her _stupid_ stunt to allow him his freedom from Batman. Joker swayed in place, his thoughts once again turning to Harley, _his Harley Quinn_. Taking a long swig of the bottle whiskey, not feeling the burn as he drank. His alcohol tolerance was impossibly high, another _gift_ from the toxic sludge that had created him.

Joker pulled the gun from his holster, waving it back and forth slightly as he resumed his drinking. His eyes were heavily lidded as he placed the bottle on the ground, baring his teeth at no one as he smoothed his hair back. He could not _sleep_ without Harley. He had become accustomed to having her by his side, willing and able to attack any stupid enough to enter Jokers building. He would not allow himself to acknowledge any reasoning past that. She was his, she had been his since the moment she had laid eyes on him, he did not know how or when; but he had become hers, in the way only the two psychopaths could truly understand.

Joker allowed his head to bow slightly, murder and mayhem back on his mind. The moment the door clicked, announcing someone was turning the handle, Joker raised his gun to aim at the person in front of him, faster than seemingly possible. Seeing it was Frost, Joker did not fire, he tracked the man with his weapon as he eased into the room and sat unflinchingly on the small step leading down to his office. "Where is she?" He rasped, lowering his gun as be resumed swaying in place, his eyes burning into Frost.

Frost shifted in place ever so slightly, relaxing his position in front of Joker. "It's complex. This is not just her, everybody's disappearing" Frost started, resting his forearms on his knees. Joker closed his eyes, tipping his head back as he listened to Frost speak. "There's this new law where if you're a bad enough bad guy they stamp 'terrorist' on your jacket. They send you to this swamp in Louisiana. A black site. That's where she is" Frost explained, watching his boss twist his head, swaying to a rhythm no one else felt. "So what do we do?" Frost asked.

"Bring the car around, we're going for a drive" Joker ordered lowly, allowing his body to tip back as he layed on the ground. Slow, mad, laughter left him as he became closer and closer to getting Harley back. Frost watched on for a moment before standing "I'll be in the garage when you're ready" He stated, exiting the room quietly. Joker laid still for a moment longer before standing smoothly, he needed to _freshen_ up, he had business to attend to.

Stepping into the bathroom, Joker carefully slicked back his hair, wiping away the drawn on smile. Staring at his ghostly reflection he smiled widely, taking Harleys red lipstick instead of his own from the counter he applied it with a practiced hand. The lipstick covering his own red lips, drawing attention to his silver smile. Turning away from his reflected face, he walked to lounge in long confident strides. Pulling his golden jacket from a hook near the elevator he slipped into it as he rode down to the garage.

As he had said, Frost was waiting in a shining black sports car, engine purring in waiting. Joker slipped into the passenger seat, waving his hand at Frost to proceed. Joker was lost in thought as Frost drove through the dark city night. Pulling up behind a small, almost hidden, club, Frost exited. Moving quickly Frost opened Jokers door, closing it behind him.

"I called ahead, he should be here already" He stated as Joker exited the car. A dark van pulled up behind them, stopping with a screech. A well dressed goon with a large golden gun exited the van and made his way towards Frost, a briefcase in hand. He passed the case over to Frost without a word, moving silently behind him as Frost turned and made his way across the small, dank alley to the silver door in the back of the tall brick building. A wide, dark man opened the door without a word, nodding respectfully at Joker as he passed.

Frost walked quickly, the goon following him, entering the dim hallway and moving with purpose through an open door at the end of it. Joker stayed back in the shadowed hall for a moment, watching the room. A large brightly lit room, lined with extravagantly dressed men and women holding weapons of their own. An enormous African man wearing a bloody apron brought a cleaver down heavily onto a pile of meat, the chilled air of the room carried the scent of raw flesh lazily.

Frost entered quickly, bringing the case across the room to the leader of the relatively small time gang. Placing the case down, as the goon relaxed by the door, weapon slung casually across his front, Frost opened it quickly pulling a plastic wrapped stack of money from the case and passing it to the man for inspection. Joker watched the brunette man seated in the middle of the room who he was here to _visit._ Griggs.

Griggs turned to Frost, watching the exchange. "Yo', slick. What's up? Griggs" He introduced. "You are?" He questioned Frost, snapping his fingers. Frost watched the men count the bills he had produced "You might want to keep your mouth shut" Frost stated, his dark glasses covering any expression.

Joker walked slowly into the room as Griggs began to speak "Can I go man? What the hell's going on?" He asked, his voice a pitch higher than it had been. Joker came to a slow stop behind Griggs, watching the others in the room carefully avoid his eye. "This is crazy" Griggs began to say, before Joker slid a hand onto the cheap white shoulder of the mans suit jacket. "Blah, blah-blah, blah-blah, blah-blah" Joker said quietly, as Griggs stiffened, fear clouding his features.

Joker clenched the man's throat slightly before sliding his hand across his shoulders "All of that _chit-chat_ is going to get you _hurt_ " He said, slapping the man's shoulders causing Griggs to let out an 'oh!' of pain and surprise. "My God" Griggs let out, sounding as nauseous with fear as he looked. Joker growled as he moved to the front of Griggs, bending to stare the man in the eye, a manic smile in place. Standing straight he held a ringed hand in front of Griggs' face, face morphing into a cold expression as the man glanced around quickly before bending slightly to press an unsure kiss to Jokers long fingers.

Joker remained in place for a moment, before smiling his insane grin once again and moving quickly to almost be in Griggs' lap, pressing his knees into the chair either side of the frightened mans lap. Pressing both hands either side of Griggs' neck, Joker laughed wildly. "I could tell you meant that" He growled, holding the man's head in place with his firm grip on Griggs' neck. Joker trailed his hands down, passing them across Griggs' chin as he spoke "You're gonna be my friend" He said quietly, his voice carrying clearly through the silent room, his face deadly serious.

Griggs' nodded weakly, his face pale as he looked into the eyes of Joker, who stood straight once again. "You're going to give me the exact location of Harley, down to the _blueprints._ You're going to give her a little present from me. Frost here is going to check in on you every day for every _fucking_ detail of what happens!" Joker said, his voice raising to a shout as he spoke, bringing a fist down onto a steel table to his side. Twisting his neck around, Joker exhaled sharply "You try to involve anyone else and your _friends_ here will burn down your house with your family inside. Don't try and run from me" Joker rasped the orders quietly.

Griggs nodded once again, sweat sheening across his forehead despite the cool room. "Of course" He stuttered, eyes never leaving Jokers face. Joker reached into his pocket and pulled Harleys cell phone from it, the pink and gold case etched with diamond shapes had been made just for her. Pressing the phone into Griggs' shaking hands he moved abruptly, kicking the legs of the chair out from under him, sending him sprawling to the ground with a shrieking grunt of surprise. Joker stepped on Griggs' throat, as the man trembled, still clutching tightly onto the cell phone. "I'll be back" Joker growled, turning and leaving the room, Frost and the goon following in quick succession. Griggs' trembled slightly as he picked himself up from the icy ground, cursing at himself internally.


	29. Chapter Twenty Nine

**Author's Note: Official start of the Suicide Squad scenes, though it may be a bit before there's real action. I'm changing a few things, because I want the gaps left in the movie to fit together better, but for the most part the good scenes should be the same. More of the little changes I'll make will start in the next chapter, as I can start with more character interactions.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Twenty Nine.**_

Harley was thrown backwards into her cell with a thud as her behind met the cool ground. Her stomach churned with the forced, sickly daily feeding that she had once again endured. Harley had become as accustomed as one could be to force feeding, although the pain it caused coupled with the rolling, dense feeling left in her stomach remained.

As the guard's left, returning to their duties, Harley pushed back her hair from her face, it brushed past her waist, much longer than she ever wore it voluntarily. Pushing herself up from the ground, Harley straightened her worn outfit, the singlet was frayed, the plain white bra and underwear all else that she would wear. Harley rocked on her heels for a moment, eyes closed as she felt the rush of bitter anger at being where she was.

Moving quickly, Harley scaled the bars of her cell slightly to be a foot higher off the ground, before leaping through the air and grasping the hanging sheet. Swinging herself into the sheet more firmly, Harley sat for a moment, dangling her pale, sculpted legs through the air, before shifting backwards to artfully twist her thighs into the fabric. Releasing her hands from the sheet, Harley dropped backwards, held in the air by her legs she allowed her body to hang towards the ground, fingers brushing through the air.

Twisting and arching her body, Harley moved gracefully through the air, falling back into her routines of dancing. As Harley hung in the air she daydreamed, imagining she was back in the club, the thick, warm air surrounding her as she danced in the hanging chains, drawing all eyes but only caring about one pair.

Harley brushed her hands through her long hair, the cheap shampoo had left more than an inch of split ends at the end of her pale locks. Harley let her hair swing free as she pulled herself up slightly, reaching to grab one of her legs and pulling it towards her head. Harleys muscles burned nicely at the stretching, something she had very little chance to do while she had been locked away. Even in the grey room, Harley enjoyed the watery sunlight streaming down from the windows.

Hearing footsteps down the hall, Harley twisted upwards to a better position, where she would be able to drop down quickly and attack should she want to. Harley kept one leg wrapped up in the sheets, moving her body to a sitting position that appeared casual, with one leg dangling down. Glancing to the side, Harley spotted the group of heavily armed guards, the gear (including shields) now compulsory anytime Harley was to be taken from her cell.

Keeping her face relaxed, Harley went through all the possibilities of why the guard's would be back so soon after her 'feeding'. They took her to the bathroom before the feeding so it didn't make sense for them to break the schedule. The guard's stopped at the rooms gated entrance as the two guards stationed there opened the door for them, allowing the group to pour into the room.

"Sector C, get your heads out of your ass! The boss is on deck" Harley heard the familiar voice of Griggs yell, using his hands and short barked commands to direct the group of guards around the room. Once everyone had spread out into their allotted positions, Griggs approached Harleys cell slowly. Harley turned her head slightly to track his movement, swinging slightly through the air to maintain her uncaring demeanour. As the wire gate surrounding Harleys cell was opened, Harley moved to sit up straight in the sheets, a smirk tugging at her lips as she heard Griggs addressing the men around him.

"If she moves, fire her up. All right?" He said, moving through the fence to stand by the bars of Harleys cell. Harley did not move from her position, subtly checking out where all the guards were stationed in the room. "You going to come down from there or what?" Griggs asked, false politeness tinging his tone. Harley hesitated for a moment, allowing a slow grin to spread across her face at the extremes they went to in their effort to contain her.

Rocking backwards, Harley flipped backwards, letting her legs slip free from the sheets before finally releasing her hands and dropping to the ground smoothly. "Yeah. Look at you" Griggs laughed slightly, his eyes glued to Harleys movements. Harley approached the bars where Griggs stood, grasping them as she pressed her face against the cool metal, hoping he would give her the opportunity to bash his head in.

Griggs leaned in slightly, speaking in a lower voice "You know the rules hotness, you gotta' keep off these bars" He said, trying too hard to sound friendly. Harley studied him for a moment, noting the anxiety hidden in his eyes. "What these bars?" Harley questioned lightly. Griggs' smug face never moving from her view "Yeah, those bars" He answered as Harley leaned in and licked slowly up the cold bar in front of her, enjoying the mixed emotions that flew across Griggs' face.

"Oh my God" The man before her groaned slightly, laughter huffing through his words as Harley smiled widely, laughing along with him. "You are in really bad shape up stairs, lady" He added, speaking louder as he watched Harley. Leaning backwards slightly, Harley let her smile fade, before resuming her position pressed closely to the cell bars. "You gonna' come in here and tell me that?" Harley started lowly "Or are you too scared?" She finished, watching the smug smile drop from Griggs' face.

"Come on, I'm bored" Harley pleaded falsely, eyes cool as she watched the man try to maintain an expressionless face. "I'm bored, play with me" Harley pouted with a slight whine to her voice. "You put five of my guys in the Hospital, honey. No one's going to play with you. You sleep on the ground" Griggs stated. Harley saw some of the guard's shift uncomfortably at the mention of her violence.

Harley let her face remain cold "I sleep where I want, when I want, with _who_ I want" She said back, solid confidence in her voice as she looked the disgusting man before her up and down with contempt. Griggs laughed shortly at her, shaking his head slightly. "Oh man, I love you" He said, amusement on his face as he pulled a radio from his chest pocket. "Alpha One, hit her" He said, before Harley could pull away from the bars. A surge of electricity ran through her, sending her flying backwards onto the concrete floor.

Anger ran through Harley as the shock brought forward the blurry memories of the force feeding. The guard's with too much bravado would try and mess with her while they transported her within the Prison, quickly put in their place by a fight they could not win. Harley rolled her head upwards, seething hatred taking over as she leapt upwards, running towards Griggs with the intent of grasping his head through the bars and slamming it into a bloody pulp against her cage.

The blinding, crazed, madness stopped her from thinking through her plan fully, as she was yet again thrown backwards by the enormous bolt of electricity flowing through her body. Harley let out a low huff of air as she hit the ground yet again, her eyes rolling slightly as the world blurred out into darkness. Vaguely Harley heard Griggs' saying "That is just a whole lot pretty in a whole lot of crazy" and the sounds of gates opening as she blacked out.

Harley knew she was dreaming, she couldn't force herself awake, but she knew she was dreaming; drifting through darkness. In a blink of her eyes she was suddenly in the streets. The surroundings were familiar, the area surrounding Jokers club was dim and shabby during the day, but it was comforting. Turning to see Jokers club, Harley felt as though she was wading through syrup, her movements heavy and slow. Her heart dropped at the sight that met her, the club was up in flames, Joker nowhere to be found as the imposing figure of Batman watched the building burn.

Before Harley could open her mouth to scream, to search for Joker, the dream world blurred. Harley stumbled, finding herself in an entirely different place all of a sudden. The halls were familiar, the bland setting of Arkham Asylum had her heart thumping in her chest. Her body was moving without her permission, striding quickly down the halls. Harley didn't recognise herself at first as she caught sight of her reflection in the glass of a passing window, her hair was a golden blonde, pulled back into a tight pony tail. Her make up plain and subtle, her professional clothing covered by a starched white lab coat.

Harley struggled to regain control of her body as she turned into a room, the one used for ECT, she recognised faintly. Panic shot through her at the sight that met her eyes. The room was dark, a bright light hung in the center of the room over a steel table. Strapped firmly to the table was Joker, his hair mussed and his eyes closed. A man in full surgical gear appeared from the darkness beside Joker, his face partially hidden by the surgical mask.

Harley slammed against the confines of the body, against _Harleen_ , trying in vain to regain control and get to Joker. Her body came to a stop beside the table, Joker's eyes opened slowly, his gaze cold and hateful as he caught sight of her. "The patient is prepped, Doctor Quinzel" The man in surgical gear said, his voice carrying strangely through the room. "Very good, let's proceed" She heard her voice say, no, not her voice. Harleens voice.

The man held an instrument that looked very similar to an icepick out to her. Despite her desperate efforts to control her body, she watched as her lightly tanned hand reached out and grasped the instrument. The man nodded at her, as her hand moved to place the instrument to the inner corner of Jokers eye, his face loathing and cold. Screaming at herself to stop, to wake up, Harley was trapped as she watched the man hand a small hammer type instrument to her.

Without a word she accepted the tool and raised it, before slamming it down on the end of the icepick tool, sending the instrument into Jokers brain. Harley couldn't handle the pain she felt, despite knowing she was dreaming, at the sight of her own hands lobotomising Joker. The room faded to black, the sound of Joker grunting in pain the last thing she heard as she faded into the blackness.

With a gasp, Harley returned to consciousness, her mind churning at the horror of the dream. She never wanted to be _trapped_ as Harleen Quinzel again, she would never let anyone harm Joker, not even herself. Harleys body tingled as she became aware of her surroundings, her eyes and brain throbbed slightly in time with her pulse as she opened her eyes.

The dark hallway appeared similar to the drab, grey Belle Reve hallways Harley was accustomed to, though subtle differences told Harley she was in an area of the building she had never been to before. As Harley attempted to turn her head she was met with resistance. Glancing down, Harley found herself to be strapped in place, she recognised the contraption she was being wheeled in as the one used to hold her when she was being force fed. The blurry horror of her dream faded from her mind quickly as she became fully aware of her surroundings, also allowing her to note that she was dressed in the same orange jumpsuit she had been put in when she first arrived, though it was now extremely faded, with rips in areas.

She was turned down a corner, allowing her to briefly catch sight of the armed guards surrounding her. The hall opened up into a large, dimly lit space. Men dress in heavy army clothing dotted the area, some preparing weapons and collecting gear from large gated lockers. Harley laughed as she was wheeled down the hall, enjoying the air brushing against her face, though she had no idea where she was going.

As Harley was wheeled past a table, she caught sight of a set of black cases being handled by some of the soldiers. Straining slightly to read the red embossed lettering Harley made out 'Van Criss Laboratories' on the tops of the cases. "What is that?" She questioned, as the case was picked up and brought around the table.

Harley was stopped in her chair suddenly as a group of people dressed in camo printed clothes entered the room. Two of the group, a man and a woman, were dressed in surgical gloves, masks, and aprons, they stared at her curiously. Harley pushed down the flash of her recent nightmare at the sight of the medical garb, though could not contain the thread of concern that filled her as she wondered what they would do.

"Who are you?" She asked, as the man with a face mask locked eyes with her. No one answered Harley as they crowded around the black case, their bodies blocking the contents from view, though the low voice of a man carried to her as he said "Stand by, arming device". "Who are you? I don't know who you are" She repeated, straining against the restraints as she caught sight of the device they held.

It looked almost like a high tech tranq' gun that Joker had in his weapons room, shining silver and black in the artificial light. "Hey, hey! I'm talking to you!" Harley demanded, as the device was handed to the soldier in Doctor get up. The man pressed something into the device, before placing it against Harley's neck, causing her to struggle harder against the restraints.

"Hey I'm talking to y-" Harley was cut off by a searing pain through her neck, she let out a short scream as the pain shot through her neck sharply, forcing her eyes closed. A cool device was placed against the same spot as Harley breathed through the pain, vaguely hearing the man say "Injection successful" Shortly followed by a woman's voice saying "Location verified".

Harley opened her eyes to see a flash of a screen to her side, and what appeared to be a sonogram of her neck, a small white rectangle stood out in the middle. Before Harley could ask further questions she was once again being wheeled down the dim halls. A man's voice behind her made her laugh despite her annoyance at the situation as he threatened anyone who touched him.

Harley was soon lead to a pair of double doors, two armed guard's jogged ahead to push the doors open, allowing the bright light of natural sun to illuminate them all. Harley was blinded for a moment, as she was pushed out into the light, her chair crunching on the gravel. Harley studied her surroundings quickly, to one side was a large mesh fence topped with barbed wire, to the other side stood a tall, grimy, concrete wall.

As a gust of wind blew lightly against Harley's face, she let out a 'Wheee' enjoying the change in routine as her mood flipped frantically between emotions, she had a better chance at getting away when they changed routine. Suddenly Griggs picked up his pace from where he had seemingly been trailing behind slightly, Harley glanced at him from the corner of her eye as he tapped her hand. "Listen, you're being transferred. I don't know where you're going" He stated, sliding his hand to Harleys as he walked quickly beside her. Pressing something firm into her hand, he glanced at her. "It's from Mister J" He started. Harley looked quickly at her hand, her heart leaping at the sight of her phone, a cartoon logo style drawing of Joker's head illuminated the screen.

"You gonna' tell him I took care of you?" Griggs questioned, concern seeping into his tone. Harley smirked up at him as she clenched her hand around her phone, hiding it from view. "You're so screwed" Harley said, chilling amusement playing in her eyes as she began laughing, imagining what Joker would do to him when she told him all about her stay.

"What do you mean by that?" Griggs asked, stopping to turn to look at Harley full on, as she continued laughing wildly. "What do you mean by that?" He called again, slightly more frantic. As Harley was pushed through a large set of gates, a soldier stepped forward and stopped Griggs from walking any further. "Get off me" He growled "Harley what do mean by that?! Harley!" He yelled, as more soldiers stepped forward to stop Griggs from following the maniacally laughing Harley.

Harley was pushed through a second set of gates to large open space, before her was an enormous plane, the back opened to reveal a cavernous empty space. As Harley reached the ramp leading onto the large plane she was halted, she managed to slip the phone down into the seat of her chair, sliding her leg slightly to shift the phone under her body. A soldier to her left approached, holding a large syringe. "Triple dosed, she'll be out for the trip" He said to the guard who had been pushing her chair.

Harley laughed as the man pressed the needle to her neck, injecting the sedative into her bloodstream. Commotion behind her indicated that whoever else was being carted around was being sedated as well. As the chair began moving again, pushing Harley into the gaping mouth of the plane, her vision began wavering, the colours oozing together to blackness. Harley did not fight this time, as she lost consciousness, despite the confusion of not knowing what was happening she was content with the fact that Joker was coming for her.


	30. Chapter Thirty

**Author's Note: Okay, I know this chapter is a bit boring because of the lack of original scenes and dialogue but I didn't want to be lazy in my writing and just skip important scenes. So this chapter is mostly just the 'Political' beginning of Suicide Squad being formed. The next chapter should be much more interesting, so I will post it as soon as I can to make up for this. Another little note, I know that some of the scenes are not used; such as the one where Harley is taken to form task force X but the one I used just fit in better with this story.**

* * *

 ** _Chapter Thirty._**

Amanda Waller stepped confidently from the dark SUV, two black cases clutched firmly in her hands as she walked past the driver of the car. Stepping onto the sidewalk she straightened her back and steeled her shoulders, preparing herself to put forth her plan to the arrogant men awaiting.

The Hotel was beautiful, seen easily from the lobby alone. Shining white floors, with immaculate golden walls. The tall ceilings held intricate chandeliers that threw warm light to the room below, illuminating it in the cool, dark night. Amanda glanced to the side briefly as she walked into the entrance of the Hotel, a solemn man stood by a cart holding shirts with the famous 'Superman' symbol on the front. As Amanda strode past, he flipped the shirt he was holding, revealing the word 'remember' printed on the back. "Remember" The man said simply, Amanda smiled at the man as she turned her head forward and walked through the lobby.

Two well dressed, and armed, doormen held open a pair of large, frosted, golden glass doors with respectful nods. Amanda nodded back, not hesitating as she made her way down the Hotel hall, striding quickly to the end of the hall, where yet another doorman nodded respectfully and pulled open a polished oak door. The room was large, round dining tables dressed in heavy white table cloths filled the luxurious room, though only one was occupied. Glancing around briefly at the dimly lit brown walls, and plush red carpeting, Amanda approached the occupied table.

Stopping in place at the head of the table, Amanda surveyed the two well dressed men already seated, expensive steak meals in place at the table. With a quick nod of greeting, Amanda took her seat. "Amanda, why have you called us here?" Asked a grey haired man, his numerous pins and medals glinting in the dim light. "The world changed when Superman flew across the sky. And then it changed again when he didn't. That is why I'm here" Amanda stated, picking up her silverware and prodding the thick cut of meat in front of her with a smirk as the men dug in.

"We lose a national hero… But you sit there looking like the cat that ate the canary" The grey haired man commented. Amanda leaned forward slightly, looking the man in the eyes "I've eaten a lot of canaries" She replied simply. The man glanced downwards slightly, chewing at his steak slowly. "It's taken some work, but I finally have them. The worst of the worst" Amanda continued, pride running through her at the plan she had concocted. Amanda reached down to the briefcase at the side of her chair and pulled a large white binder from it, dropping it heavily on the table in front of her, so that the bold red print reading 'Top Secret' was visible around the table.

The man glanced back at his steak, cutting a large piece from it as the other man at the table followed suit, seemingly content to sit back and let the grey haired man do the talking. "There are rumours, Amanda, that some of them have… abilities" He said, looking back up at her, Amanda nodded slightly. "The rumours are right. You know what the problem with a Metahuman is? The human part. We got lucky with Superman, he shared our values, the next Superman might not" Amanda said, finally cutting into her steak, not allowing herself to be intimidated by the cool stare of the man before her.

"You're playing with fire Amanda" The man said, continuing to eat as Amanda did. "I'm fighting fire with fire" She replied, lifting her glass of red wine to her lips. She would not back down easily, she had not made it as a black woman, to her position by backing down from a fight. "You're not going to pitch us that task force X project of yours again, are you?" He asked, slight contempt tainting his tone.

"Yes. But this time, you're going to listen" She responded firmly, turning to stare at him head on, both momentarily ignoring the other man at the table. Amanda reached forward and opened the binder, flipping it to the first page to reveal a page of information, including a mugshot of a bald African American man. "Floyd Lawton, A.K.A, Deadshot. He's the most wanted hitman in the world. Let's say he has an elite clientele" Amanda began, smugly pleased to see interest in the eyes of the man.

"But everyone has a weakness, and a weakness can be leveraged. His is an eleven year old honour student from Gotham city, his daughter. So we watched her and waited" Amanda said. "And you caught him?" The man asked, attention fully on Amanda now. "Not me. I just gave an anonymous tip to the right guy in Gotham city. So now we have the man who never misses" Amanda said, disregarding the faint pity she felt for Deadshot's daughter.

"Where'd you put him?" The man asked curiously. Amanda leaned backwards in her seat "Let's just say I put him in a hole, and threw away the hole" Amanda replied slightly dismissively. Reaching forward she flipped past Deadshot's pages in her file to reveal the information of her next catch. "Harley Quinn. Before she ran off and joined the circus, she was known as Doctor Harleen Quinzel, a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum. She was assigned to the clown himself" Amanda continued, taking another sip of wine.

"She thought she was curing him, but she was falling in love. Talk about a workplace romance gone wrong" Amanda smirked slightly, seeing the man before her hide the same humourless smirk on his own weathered face. "They became the King and Queen of Gotham city. And God help anyone who disrespected the Queen" Amanda said, thinking back on the enormous file of the pairs crimes. "She's crazier than him, and more fearless. But the Bat got her too, she's in the same hole as deadshot" She continued.

Flipping to the next section in her folder to reveal a scruffy white man with wild brown hair. "And then there's the Aussie, Digger Harkness. Or as the tabloids call him, Captain Boomerang. He robbed every bank in Australia at least once, then he came to America for a fresh target set. Doesn't work well with others, but he tangled with a Metahuman and lived to tell about it" Amanda said, crossing her arms and leaning on the table, as the man finished his mouthful.

Quickly flipping to the next section in her folder, a heavily tattooed mans picture sat at the top. "And have you heard of the pyrokinetic homeboy?" She asked, glancing up. "How'd we catch him?" The man questioned curiously. "We didn't, he surrendered. Chato Santana, on the streets they call him El Diablo. This LA gangbanger thought he was the king of the world… Until he lost his queen. Gets jumped in a prison riot and incinerates half the yard. The security video is incredible" Amanda said, shaking her head in slight amazement.

Amanda flipped to the next section in the book, getting horrified and amazed stares at the picture that sat at the top of the page, a man who seemed to be more crocodile then human stared back. "Jesus, what the hell is that?" The man questioned, his cool demeanour dropping slightly in his shock. "His name is Waylon Jones. Evolution took a step backwards with this one, they call him Killer Croc'. He looked like a monster, so they treated him like a monster. Then he became a monster. He was chased out of Gotham city by the Bat, went searching for sanctuary elsewhere. He never found it" Amanda took a bite of her steak as she stopped speaking, once again pushing down pity as she spoke of Killer Croc'.

Amanda swallowed and leaned forward again. "I saved the best for last. The witch" She said simply. "A witch?" The man asked a huff of disbelieving laughter in his voice. "I'm talking a flying, spell-casting, making-shit-disappear witch. A sorceress from another dimension. Another world" Amanda said, before flipping to the next section, revealing a pretty, normal looking blonde woman.

"Archeologist Doctor June Moone… wandered into the wrong cave. She opened something she shouldn't have, releasing a Metahuman more powerful than any we've encountered. The Enchantress. She inhabits Doctor Moones body now" Amanda said. "Where is this witch?" The man asked, clearly drawn in by Amanda's words. "She's in my pocket" Amanda smirked.

A dark haired man at the table spoke up for the first time, face mildly amused "Now tell him why she won't turn you into a frog" He said, fingers steepled in front of his face. Amanda glanced at him as she began to speak. "Some say the Witch has a secret buried heart, and whoever finds it, can control the Witch. So we searched the cave where she turned up, and we found her heart" Amanda reached down to her other side as she spoke, flipping open a black case that revealed a dark mass tangled in wires secured behind thick glass. She pressed her thumb to a scanner quickly, disarming the contraption.

The grey haired man looked down at it in surprise "That things her heart?" He asked. Amanda nodded as she flipped the lid closed, sitting straight in her chair "And she's vulnerable without it" She added. The grey haired man sat back in his seat "You want us to put our national security in the hands of… Witches, gangbangers, and crocodiles?" He asked, disbelief in his tone. "Don't forget about the Joker's girlfriend" The dark haired man added, as Amanda smiled without humour.

"These are villains, Amanda. What makes you think you can control them?" The grey haired man asked. Amanda rested her elbows on the table "Because getting people to act against their own self-interests, for the national security of the United States is what I do for a living. You take the finest special forces officer this nation has ever produced, Colonel Rick Flag" Amanda said, adjusting in her seat.

"I assigned him to watch Doctor Moone, and just as I hoped, it got personal. I have the Witch's heart, and Doctor Moone has his. Now he'll follow my orders as holy writ" Amanda said seriously, watching as the men exchanged a glance. "In a world of flying men and monsters, this is the only way to protect our country" Amanda concluded. The grey haired man sighed slightly, before nodding. "Okay, okay. I'll make the appointment, you're going to have to plead your case at the Pentagon though". Amanda smiled smugly, finishing her wine in one mouthful.

~0~0~0~0~

The large meeting room was packed with well dressed, stern looking people surrounding a large shining table. A pretty woman with a severe bun, June Moone, sat anxiously next to a handsome man, Rick Flag, to the side. Standing in the corner, watching as a brunette man at table spoke, was Amanda Waller.

"What if Superman had decided to fly down, rip off the roof of the white house... And grab the President of the United States right out of the oval office? Who would've stopped him? We got contingency plans for nukes in North Korea… Anthrax in our mail, we got fluoride in our water. But what happens if the next Superman… Becomes a terrorist? Amanda Waller has a plan. Amanda" The man finished his speech, turning his attention to Amanda as she walked around the table to stand at the front of the room, the mugshots of her candidates projected behind her.

"I want to build a team of some very bad people, who I think can do some good. Like fight the next war, defeat the next Superman" Amanda said, her voice carrying clearly across the room. "Not on my watch" Cut in a man in glasses, his position relaxed, yet authoritative. "You're not putting those monsters back out on the street in our name" He continued.

"General, we run them covertly, non-attributed, strictly need to know. And if they get caught, we throw them under the bus. The next war will be fought with these Metahumans, ours or theirs. We're not the only ones kicking up rocks looking for them" Amanda retorted coolly. "You know we can't control these people" The General stated.

Amanda reached to the floor beside her and pulled her black case up, placing it on the table in front of her. As Amanda opened the case, and disarmed it, Rick Flag turned to the anxious June Moone "June, be strong" He said lowly, anticipating what was to come. Amanda Waller glanced at the pair, her face impartial "Doctor Moone" She called. June stepped up slowly, walking to stand beside Amanda.

Taking a deep breath, June removed her glasses, placing them on the table in front of her. June closed her eyes "Enchantress" She whispered to herself, inhaling sharply as she felt Enchantress take over, her cold, black grip over taking the Doctor. In the blink of an eye the mystical witch stood in front of the room, with dark grey skin, long black hair, and startling eyes where the pupil glowed in a white fire, surrounded by inky black rings. The group around the table gasped, one woman crossed herself quickly, eyes wide as she took in the witch before her.

"Jesus Christ" One man muttered, cool demeanour dropping slightly. "Meet the Enchantress" Amanda said, surveying the expressions around the room. "Everything we know about her is in your briefing packets. She's walked this earth for a very long time, and will likely be here when we're long gone" Amanda said, as Enchantress glanced at the open page of a briefing packet before her, recognising the artifact shown as the case that held her brother.

"This meeting is now a magic show?" The General asked, composure quickly back in place. "Magic or not, this girl can do some pretty incredible things" Amanda stated, turning to Enchantress "Go get it girl" She ordered. Enchantress glanced at the woman spitefully for a moment, before closing her eyes. The large table in the room began shaking, water and tea threatening to spill across the numerous papers. With a flicker of the lights, Enchantress appeared beside the General, dropping a thick folder covered in foriegn writing before him, eliciting startled gasps from around the room.

The General turned swiftly in his chair to stare at Enchantress. "How about a little something from the weapons ministry vault in Tehran" Amanda said, face carefully straight. The General glanced at the folder, before beginning to flick through the pages "We've been chasing this for years" He said, slight amazement in his voice which quickly turned to extreme discomfort as Enchantress began running her long, dark fingers along his neck and shoulder, "Please don't touch me. Please don't touch me" He stated, voice wavering slightly.

"Thank you, we'd like Doctor Moone back" Amanda said firmly, staring at Enchantress who locked gazes with contempt. Amanda reached forward and pressed the tip of her steel device into Enchantresses heart, which glowed green at the pressure. Enchantress let out an echoing scream as a green light appeared on her body, with a last flicker of the lights, June Moone stood back in the room, shaking and startled. Rick Flag rushed to her side, anger and concern written on his face.

"Please, please. I'm sorry, I can't- I can't do that again" She said to him, eyes pleading tearfully. "Flag get her out of here" Amanda commanded, annoyed at the show. Rick Flag wrapped an arm around June, holding her tightly as her escorted her quickly from the room. "I move to, ah, authorise Amanda Waller to establish Task Force X under the Argus program" The brunette man said, leaning slightly on the table to stare at the General.

The General glanced down at the folder Enchantress had given him, thoughts racing. "Alright" He agreed, taking off his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose. "Thank you, Mister Chairman" Amanda said, hiding the smile tugging at her lips.


	31. Chapter Thirty One

**Author's Note: Okay, this scene kind of cuts off halfway but it didn't fit well to end it in another place, so the half will be up soon enough. The page is marked where the perspective changes at the end. Please let me know what you think, thank you to all the supporters.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Thirty One.**_

A loud thumping noise dragged Harley from her drug induced sleep. Harley kept her eyes closed for a moment, listening to her surroundings as the blurry haze from her mind faded. Various voices echoed around her, barked commands and metallic clanging accompanied the noise. The pressure in her ears indicated she was still in the plane. Harley began moving her limbs and head one by one, almost imperceptibly, to check her restraints; which were still fastened tightly.

Opening her eyes, Harley looked around. The area was large and open, and dim despite the fluorescent lighting above. She was strapped to the chair inside of a small chain link cage. They were not fun, Harley thought; it had been a while since she had a chance to _play_ with the fools. Harley could not turn her head to see who else was being transported along with her, she had not managed to catch a glimpse of the other prisoners; though she knew they were around due to the comtion they made behind her throughout the trip to the plane.

Harley considered why they would be transporting her, let alone with the other prisoners. While she ran through the possibilities, she hummed the song playing in her head, though she did not know if it was an actual tune or just something she had made up; sometimes her thoughts became tangled like that. A hazy memory popped into Harley's mind, she didn't know if it was real; it had been after days of fighting the guards, after being tasered and hit in the head when she fought the tube feeding, but it came back to her.

She had been in her double caged cell, a dark figure in a pink jacket had walked slowly from a door on the upper level of her cell room, heels clicking as she stared down at Harley. Harley had felt the aura of control and authority the woman exuded even at a distance. She had stood from her position on the ground, moving to the edge of the cage to stare at the woman. "Are you the Devil?" She had asked, staring at the shadowed figure, wondering if she really saw the horns on her head. "Maybe" Had been the reply.

Harley had fuzzy memories after that, she remembered the woman talking about a _group_ of bad people used to fight other bad people, maybe that was what this was about, she considered. Harley shifted in her seat slightly, ensuring that her phone was still tucked tightly under her thigh, satisfied that it was still securely in place, Harley eased back into a smile.

A soldier walking past Harleys cage glanced at her quickly, before doing a double take. "Want to play with me?" Harley asked, devilish smile in place. The man whipped out his small radio, speaking quietly and quickly. A minute later another older man showed up, also glancing at Harley "Why is she awake?" The older man asked, frowning. "I-I don't know. That dose should have kept her out" The younger man said with an answering frown. The older man sighed heavily "Leave her in there. Do _not_ talk to her. We'll be arriving soon anyway" He ordered, turning and marching off.

The younger man took one last glance at Harley, before rushing off. Harley laughed to herself, so easily scared, she thought. Harley tapped her fingers in boredom for another half hour as the soldiers on the plane blatantly avoided even looking at her. A decrease in pressure, and the other occupants of the large area strapping themselves into seats told Harley that the plane was descending quickly, she was happy about this, the sooner she was let out of this chair, the sooner she could contact Joker.

With a heavy thump, the plane landed, soldiers rushed around preparing large crates and exiting the plane. It was another few minutes before a group of soldiers unlocked Harleys cage and wheeled her chair out from it. Harley heard the sounds of the other cages being unlocked, followed by swearing and growling of what she assumed were her other companions. Harley was pushed to the end of plane, where there was a moment of silence as the enormous ramp pulled away and lowered to the ground below.

Harley let out a small 'Wheee' as she was pushed down the ramp, though she squinted slightly at the bright sunlight that met her eyes. The area was surrounded by large dark green army tents, fully geared soldiers ran back and forth along the cracked concrete, crates of supplies dotted the area. Harley was pushed to the middle of the concrete area, where she was pulled to a stop. From the corner of her eye, she could see other chairs being halted beside her own, though she could not move her head to see who her chained up buddies were.

As a group of soldiers came to a stop in front of Harleys chair, a whirring thump followed by a low growling came to a halt beside Harleys chair, she wanted to see who was growling, the noise tugged at memories in her head, but she couldn't place where from. She was quickly distracted by one of the men in front of her, she winked at the broad, handsome soldier in a tank top, laughing quietly. "What the hell Flag?" The handsome man muttered, eyes glued to whoever was growling beside Harley.

The man who appeared to be Flag peered across the group before him, hand tightly clenched on his gun. "Alright, unlock 'em" He ordered, looking supremely unhappy about his words. The deafening sound of a Helicopter landing nearby drowned out all of the commotion for a moment, as soldiers surrounded the group Harley seemed to be a part of. The sound of restraints being undone reached Harleys ears, as she was freed from the confines of her chair.

Harley slid her hand underneath her smoothly, imperceptibly moving the phone underneath her into the band of her underwear, ensuring it was hidden from view in the loose clothing as she stood and stretched, raising her hands into the air with a happy moan as her muscles eased after being confined for so long. The large group of soldiers watched the group silently "Hi boys! Harley Quinn, how do you do?" She beamed, lowering her hands to reach one out for a handshake, though no one moved to meet it.

There was a long moment of silence as the soldiers stared down their opposites, Harley's mind flooded with ideas, plans to escape and simply cause mayhem. "Huh?" Harley said suddenly, glancing to her side, gaining glances from everyone around her. "What was that? I should kill everyone and escape?" She asked the air around her, face straight as she studied the apprehensive looks shot her way.

Harley let her serious face drop, swaying slightly as she smiled widely "Sorry, the voices" She explained, tapping her head with a roll of her eyes, smile widening even further. The concerned looks grew as Harley laughed "I'm kidding! Geez" She said, waving her hands dismissively in front of her "That's not what they really said" She added lowly, dark smile in place as she played with her hair.

As a group of soldiers walked up to the side of Harley, carrying a large sack that seemed to be moving, Harley took the time to study the rest of the prisoners with her. There were three people with her, all dressed in orange jumpsuits like hers, though theirs were not as faded. To her immediate right was a tall African American man, he was bald with a dark beard, Harley vaguely recognised him as Deadshot. Next to him was a heavily tattooed man who Harley thought looked Hispanic underneath the ink, his face was tense underneath the skull tattooing. Harley had heard of him, he was El Diablo, or Chato. He had incredible power over fire, Harley wanted to see what he could do.

To Harleys right was a huge man who looked very much like a crocodile, thick dark green scales covered his body, with flat almost reptilian features. Harley stared at him for a moment, searching through her wild mind as to why he seemed familiar. Her thoughts were interrupted by Flag walking up to the squirming sack that had arrived. "Well what do we have here? Twelve pounds of shit in a ten pound sack" He said, leaning over the sack and pulling a knife from his belt, cutting open the sack.

"Welcome to the party, Captain Boomerang" Flag said as he stepped back, watching a scruffy man struggle his way out of the sack. As soon as Captain Boomerang got to his feet, he ran forward and solidly punched the first soldier he saw, sending the man flying to the ground, eliciting loud laughter from Harley as she watched the show. Soldiers converged on the struggling man, before Flag grabbed hold of the man, pinning him to the side of a nearby fork lift.

"Hey! Hey, hey. What's going on man?" He questioned, raising his hands in surrender. Flag loosened his grip on Captain Boomerang's throat "Calm down" He stated. "One minute I'm playing mahjong with me Nana, then this red streak hits me out of nowhere!" He argued, his thick Australian accent apparent. "Shut up! You were caught robbing a diamond exchange" Flag said, not releasing the man. "I was not!" Captain Boomerang said, his tone conveying offense, causing Harley to laugh once again.

A dark SUV pulled into the small Army base, causing Flag to release Captain Boomerang and shove him towards the other prisoners. "Here comes Slipknot, the man who can climb anything. Wonderful" He sighed, watching as a man with dark braided hair dressed in strange gear was escorted from the car. A woman holding the door open turned to Slipknot as he exited the car "Have a good time, scumbag" She said. Without a word Slipknot punched her square in the face before he was pulled back by the soldiers around him.

Small 'Oohs' were let out by some who were watching, Harley just smiled to herself, thinking about who she would kill first when she came back for revenge once Joker collected her. "She had a mouth" Slipknot announced, seeing the eyes on him as he was pulled towards the other prisoners, making Harley giggle, this place was fun.

"Listen up!" Shouted Flag, gaining the attention of all around him. "In your necks… The injections you got, it's a nanite explosive. It's the size of a rice grain but it's as powerful as a hand grenade. You disobey me, you die. You try to escape, you die. You otherwise irritate or vex me, and guess what? You die" Flag announced, striding back and forth.

Harley saw some of the prisoners rub at the injection sites on their necks, it was less concerning for her. Her Mister J was the smartest man she knew, he would know about this already and he would have a solution. "I'm known to be quite vexing, I'm just forewarning you" Harley called, amused by the tense man, she saw some of the other prisoners hiding smirks at her words. "Lady, shut up!" Flag yelled. Harley pouted in return, how rude, he would be fun to play with if he was already annoyed by her.

"This is the deal, you're going somewhere very bad, to do something that'll get you killed. But until that happens, you're my problem" Flag added, stopping in front of Deadshot. "So was that like a pep talk?" Deadshot asked skeptically. "Yeah, that was a pep talk" Flag said as he pointed to the side of the prisoners. "There's your shit, grab what you need for a fight. Wheels up in ten" He added.

"You might want to work on your team motivation thing" Deadshot said to Flag "You heard of of Phil Jackson?" He asked. "Yeah" Flag responded, looking vaguely annoyed. "He's like the gold standard. Triangle, bitch. Study" Deadshot complained. Flag rolled his eyes slightly and pointed again at a set of crates which had been set up to the side of the concrete area.

Harley studied the crates for a moment, before spotting a dark green case which had a spray painted white crown over the letters H.Q, with a gasp of excitement, Harley skipped over to the case, excited to see what they had brought for her. Harley flipped the case open with a wide smile, revealing a case packed full of various items she was well known for, Harley assumed they were replicas, but she was excited all the same.

Spotting a red and black body suit on top Harley let out a delighted scream, picking it up and holding it against her body. The suit was not as good as her original, but it was wonderful all the same. Harley did not want to wear it without Joker though, so she tossed it back into the case. Harley continued digging through the case, shifting aside weapons and clothing to pull a small black and gold revolver from a holster, she knew this was her own gun, she had had it designed specially, with 'love' and 'hate' printed on the barrel of the gun along with printed gold diamonds.

Harley put the gun back in its holster, catching sight of her favourite item, her choker necklace that read 'Puddin'. Harley clutched it tightly for a moment, thinking about how much she missed Joker, she pressed a kiss to it before fastening it around her neck. Harley dropped to a cross legged position in front of her case as she caught sight of a large cosmetics case inside her trunk. Unzipping it Harley let out another shriek of delight at the items inside. Harley pulled her hair from it's pigtails, and picked up a pair of scissors.

Propping up a small makeup mirror, Harley began cutting her hair carefully, trimming it back to the length she preferred. Once she was satisfied that her hair was once again in bouncy, white-blonde locks, Harley pulled them back into high pigtails. Digging through the case quickly, Harley came across two cans of spray on hair colouring, pink and blue, though not her preferred method, Harley uncapped the cans and made quick work of colouring the ends of her hair, one side pink and one side blue.

Harley stood up quickly to tug the orange jumpsuit off, leaving her in her singlet and underwear. She used the jumpsuit to wipe the excess dye from her, before tossing it to the side and beginning to work on her make up. She matched her eyeshadow to her hair, one side pink and one side blue, she then smudged the makeup out slightly before applying a small amount of eyeliner. Patting on a small amount of powder, Harley painted her lips a deep red shade, feeling enormously happy at being able to put on her favourite shade of lipstick once again.

Harley blew herself a kiss in the mirror, before jumping back up, so caught up in her actions that she did not notice that everyone who could see her in the small base had stopped and was watching her. Digging through the case once more, Harley pulled a red and black bra with matching underwear out. Dropping her white underwear, Harley tugged the singlet down so as to cover her while she slipped into her new pair, before shedding the singlet entirely as she put on the bra, now aware of the surprised gasps that surrounded her. Harley tugged on a pair of tiny blue and red booty shorts over fishnet stockings, she wanted to look her best when Joker came for her.

Harley tied a pair of white and black high heeled sneaker styled shoes on, before fastening a black and gold belt around her hips. Standing straight, Harley finally slipped on her white and red shirt that read 'Daddy's Little Monster', smoothing her shirt down, Harley felt satisfied with her outfit, she would look great when she was finally reunited with Joker. Harley spotted a pack of her favourite gum in the case, clapping she popped a piece in her mouth, wondering why they would get her gum. Looking up, Harley noticed everyone frozen in place, staring at her "What?" She asked which seemed to break the trance as everyone rushed onwards to go about their business.

Harley grabbed her jacket from the case, a red and blue satin piece that read 'Property of Joker' on the back. Touching up her lipstick one last time, Harley moved to step back to watch Deadshot getting suited up. He was already dressed in his red and black suit, but was staring at a white mask in his hands silently. "Won't fit anymore? Too much junk in the trunk?" Harley teased. "Nah. Everytime I put this on, somebody dies" Deadshot said, still looking at the mask in his hands. "And?" Harley asked, raising her eyebrows. Deadshot glanced at her "I like putting it on" He said, sending a half smile at Harley as the rest of the prisoners gathered around.

Harley looked down at her case, considering which weapons to take. A large mallet with smiley faces on either side caught her eye, she picked it up and spun it in her hands "Goody. Something tells me a whole lot of people are about to die" She said, smiling at the mallet. "Yeah it's us. We're being lead to our deaths" Diablo said, looking stern. "Speak for yourself mate. Hey what's that crap on your face, does it wash off?" Captain Boomerang asked, getting a deep laugh from the crocodile man that Harley recognised. She frowned for a moment, trying to figure out how she knew him.

Waylon. Killer Croc'. Her mind told her as she looked at him. She must have know him as Harleen, her memories of that time were fuzzier. She was his Doctor, she suddenly recognised, causing her to laugh aloud. How funny that they would end up on the same team. "Hey, if you like a girl, can you light her cigarettes with your pinky? That would be real classy" Harley asked Diablo, delighted at being able to study his tattoos closer. Diablo did not answer. "Hey you might wanna leave old boy alone, he could torch this whole joint. Ain't that right Ese?" Deadshot cut in. Harley threw the mallet back down into the case as she spotted the familiar sight of her favourite bat, she picked it up and studied it for a moment, the familiar writing and drawings told her they had taken her original bat from Jokers sunken car.

"Ain't got nothing to worry about from me. I'm cool, homie" Diablo said, looking as if he would rather be back in his cell. Harley was about to walk over to Croc' when Flag appeared before them, holding up a tablet. "Behold, the voice of God" He said, as the screen flashed to show Amanda Waller. "For those of you who don't know me officially, my name is Amanda Waller. There's an active terrorist in Midway City. I want you to enter the city, rescue HVT-1 and get them to safety" Amanda Waller said firmly. "I'm sorry, for those of us who don't speak good guy, what is HVT-1?" Asked Deadshot, waving at the screen slightly.

"The only person that matters in the city, the one person you can't kill. Complete the mission, you get time off your prison sentence. Fail the mission, you die. Anything happens to Colonel Flag, I'll kill every single one you. Remember, I'm watching. I see everything" Amanda said, tone icy. The screen went black as Flag lowered the tablet and put it away. "There's your pep talk" He announced. "Compared to your shit, she killed it" Deadshot retorted. "So that's it? What, we some kind of suicide squad?" Deadshot asked. "I'll notify your next of kin" Flag stated, walking past the group. "Alpha, Bravo team! Mount up!" He yelled to the surrounding soldiers as he walked away.

Harley skipped ahead to walk next to Killer Croc' as the group was lead off. "Aren't you going to say hi to your favourite Doctor?" She asked in a singsong voice, craning her head slightly to look up at him. Killer Croc' looked down at her for a moment, before letting out a low growling laugh "You're crazier than all of us now" He responded lowly. Harley laughed at his comment "I was nice. I let you out" She persisted chirpily. Killer Croc' glanced at her sideways once more "You needed a distraction" He said simply, Harley suspected that these were more words than he had spoken in a long time. "And I chose my favourite Croc-man for the job!" She said happily. Killer Croc' snorted and walked ahead.

Harley faked a sneeze, using the motion to tap the side of her bra, checking that her secret phone was still hidden securely in place. Satisfied that the phone was still in place she glanced up at the rest of the group and fastened her pace to catch up. She would be able to talk to her Puddin' soon.

~0~0~0~0~

Rain pattered against the windscreen as the white van reading 'Panda Deliveries' Pulled up to the small guard's booth situated outside the gated fence of Van Criss Laboratories. The bored looking guard glanced up at the driver as the van came to a halt. "Hey I got a delivery. I have a gift basket for Doctor Van Criss" The driver said, rolling his window down and leaning out slightly. The guard in the booth glanced down at the clipboard in his hand "You're not on the access list. I can't let you in, sorry" Said the guard simply.

"Hey cool, can I leave it with you? I'm way behind today" The driver said, reaching to the seat next to him and lifting a large wrapped gift basket out the window. The guard leaned out and took the basket, putting it in the booth next to him. "Thank you, you're a good man" The driver called, leaning back in his seat as he pulled a device from his pocket and pressed a button. Immediately the gift basket exploded, small enough to leave the booth mostly undamaged, yet large enough to drop the guard to the ground, where he did not move.

The driver opened the door of his van, stepping out so that he could reach into the still opened window of the guard's booth and press the small button which opened the gate. Hopping back into the van he accelerated quickly, knocking twice on the divider behind him to indicate that the plan was going according to schedule. The driver pulled to a screeching halt at the end of the long paved road leading to the large white building ahead, waiting for a moment as another white van pulled up behind him.

As soon as the van stopped moving, the back doors of the van flew open, Joker stepped out, glancing around at the building. Frost quickly exited the van behind Joker, while masked men piled out of the second van. Every man carried hefty guns loaded with massive amounts of ammo, with a sharp whistle from Joker the men ran ahead into the building.

Joker followed at a leisurely pace, his own large gun held at his side. Screams could already be heard as Joker walked through the lobby, tell tale damage and bodies littered the area, shattered glass crunched under Jokers feet as he walked through the halls until he came upon the room he sought. Three of his masked goons were shooting their way through the room, gunning down anyone foolish enough to still be in the building.

Joker walked through the lab until he came upon a sealed room, glass walls showed a dark haired man in a lab coat pacing the area anxiously. "Open up!" Called Frost, when the man made no move to do as he was instructed, Joker raised his gun and shot at the glass. The bullets pierced the seemingly bullet proof glass, though did not break it. The man inside flinched at the motion, though still made no move to exit. Joker walked up quickly, pulling a tablet from his pocket and switching it on. He pressed it against the glass harshly, showing the screen to the man inside.

The tablet showed a trembling dark haired woman with a knife pressed to her throat. The lab coated man froze at the sight, his eyes widening in horror. A grin flashed across Jokers face as the woman spoke "Just please, do whatever they say. Do whatever they say. Just do it" She begged, her voice easily heard over the commotion in the lab. With a quick glance at the woman on the screen the man reached over and pressed the button to open the lab door with a shaking hand.

Joker entered the room slowly, a couple of masked goons and Frost following behind him as the man backed up to the wall, face openly showing his terror. Joker looked to the lab table beside him, searching for the item he sought, before reaching out and pulling a small black and silver almost gun shaped device from it that injected explosives. He pulled a cap from the end of the device quickly. " _Mmm_ , this looks neat" He said with a smile, lurching forward suddenly and pressing the device to the lab coated man's neck and firing. The man screamed at the pain, dropping to his knees.

Joker stared down at the man in contempt as he clutched at his neck. "You're going to give me the device that disarms these little _toys_. To make sure you stay honest, we're going to test them on you" Joker rasped, swaying slightly in place. The man gave a pained groan before rising unsteadily to his feet. Hand still pressed to his neck, the man fumbled with a coded safe behind him for a moment, before opening it and reaching inside, pulling out a small black remote and handing it to Joker.

Joker studied it for a moment, before pressing the button on the remote, he then nodded at Frost, who picked up a hand held device beside the gun shaped devices and turned it on, searching through the screen for a moment he found the trigger for the device in the lab coated man's neck and pressed it, watching as nothing happened. Frost nodded back at Joker simply, who grinned once again, the injured man's face showed relief as he eased his tense position. Joker laughed and raised his gun "Please, no, I gave you the real-" His frantic words were cut off by Joker firing at his head. Joker's maniacal laughter echoed through the small room as the man dropped to the ground lifelessly.


	32. Chapter Thirty Two

**Author's Note: So there are some added bits in here that I'm not sure what you'll think, but a part of my changes includes adding, speeding up, or modifying some of the relationships between the characters. I'm sorry if the way I break the scenes up into chapters bothers anyone but I want to add a lot of detail in and to do that I need to be able to write them as separate chapters. As always thank you all, and please let me know what you think.**

 **Also I wrote Katanas lines in English simply because I didn't want to butcher the Japanese language by attempting to write it myself, if someone knows the correct Japanese translations then let me know and I'll swap them.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Thirty Two. **_

Harley looked up at the two large military helicopters before her, thoughts of how much fun it would be to take one for a joyride with Joker popped into her head; maybe she would be able to take it when Joker arrived. Harley snapped out of her dazed thoughts as the rest of the group of criminals stopped at the side of the concrete strip leading to the helicopters. Harley took in the city skyline in the distance, the setting sun outlining it in a halo of light. Harley loved the bright lights.

Killer Croc' growled slightly at the sight of the helicopters, tugging his hood lower down across his face. "Scared of the birdy" Harley questioned lightly, twirling her gum around her finger. "Tryin' to analyse me again?" Killer Croc' snapped back. Harley laughed, causing Flag to snap his gaze back at the group suspiciously as he talked to the pilot. Captain Boomerang raised an eyebrow, smirking lightly "You two know each other?" He asked suggestively. Harley grinned wrapping her arms around Killer Croc's arm "We're old pals!" She announced, unfazed as Killer Croc' shook her off.

"She was my shrink" He rumbled. Deadshot snorted quietly as Captain Boomerang laughed openly "Hey, I got you released didn't I?" Harley argued, her memories with Joker before she became who she truly was meant to be stuck in her head much more brightly than the rest. "You broke me out to get your boyfriend" He responded, stepping back slightly, his voice came out in growls, showing how unused to speaking he was.

Harley rolled her eyes and waved a hand dismissively "Stop splitting hairs K.C" She said. The conversation was interrupted by Flag waving over the soldiers behind the criminal group. The soldiers directed the group forward, surrounding them slightly. The group was herded into the closest helicopter where they were seated on a long bench seat, lined up in what made Harley think of a modern chain gang. Harley whistled as she took her seat in between Deadshot and Diablo.

Captain Boomerang, who was seated in between Diablo and Killer Croc', cracked open another beer that he had pulled from one of his many coat pockets. He took a long sip as some of the group of soldiers, who Harley assumed were Alpha team, loaded into the Helicopter. "Any word when she'll be here?" Flag questioned the last soldier to step into the helicopter, "None sir, we have a couple minutes before she's late" The man replied. Harley dismissed the conversation and turned her attention back to the beer, it had been a long time since she had drank something other than water. "Got any more beer, Boomerang?" Harley called to Captain Boomerang.

Captain Boomerang grinned slightly "One more, you can have it if you shotgun it" He challenged, clearly thinking Harley would decline "And call me Digger" He added, his thick accent pulled at his words strangely. "You're on" Harley laughed, smile wide as she held out a hand. Digger threw a beer to Harley, which she caught smoothly. Harley reached into her left boot, pulling a shining knife from it which caused all the soldiers on board to tense. "Oh lighten up" Harley complained, ignoring the glare from Flag. The rest of the Suicide Squad, as Harley had come to call them in her mind, watched on as Harley raised the knife over the end of the can.

"On three" Digger called "One, two…" He drawled slightly, Harley grinned and pierced the end of the can with her knife, putting her mouth to the hole she created quickly before cracking the can tab open at the top. Harley drained the can at lightning speed, even though she despised the taste of beer it was great to be drinking something more than stale water. "Wooo!" Digger let out as Harley finished the beer before throwing it out of the open back of the jet.

Harley laughed freely as Deadshot raised his hand for a small fistbump, and the rest of the those in the helicopter tried their best to ignore the criminals. Well if they were going to try send them to their deaths then the least they could do was let Harley finish her beer, a voice in Harley's mind chided. Flag looked particularly agitated, glancing at a bulky watch on his wrist. She didn't have one like that in her collection, Harley thought. Just as Flag looked ready to get up and call for the helicopter to leave without whoever they seemed to be waiting for, a figure appeared at the open back of the helicopter. The sun blinded the person from Harleys view for a moment, as she squinted to see who it was.

Once the person stepped up the ramp into the helicopter, Harley was able to make out who it was. A thin, seemingly Japanese woman with bluntly cut, short, black hair. The woman had a white mask covering the top half of her face. She was wearing an intricate black jacket with red and gold detailing that Harley wanted immediately. A beautiful sword in a sheath hung from her hip.

"You're late" Flag said to the woman. "I was busy" The woman said simply. Flag turned to the group of criminals "This is Katana" He said, gesturing to her with a thumb. "She's got my back. She can cut all of you in half with one sword stroke, just like mowing the lawn. I would advise not getting killed by her, her sword traps the souls of its victims" He stated,

Harley grinned at the woman, extending a hand out to her "Harley Quinn, nice to meet 'cha. I love your perfume, what is that, the stench of death?" Harley questioned still beaming as she dropped her hand and pulled her bat towards her. As Harley laughed, Katana pulled her sword part way from its sheath. "Should I kill them?" She asked Flag seriously. "Whoa easy there cowgirl, it ain't that kind of a mission" Flag said, laughing slightly as he waved a hand in what seemed to be an attempt at a calming motion.

"Have a seat" He added. Katana slid her sword back into its sheath and walked past the group to take a seat near the front end of the helicopter. Harley turned between Diablo and Deadshot on either side of her, smiling widely "She seems nice" She said, nodding with her words. Katana would have been much more fun if she was on Harleys side, Harley thought. Flag spoke quickly into a headset he, and the rest of the soldiers, had put on when they had got on board.

Harley kicked her feet back and forth as the helicopter prepared to fly, she needed a moment of distraction so she could check her phone, she was desperate to speak to Joker. Harley 'Wooed' loudly as the helicopter took off, blatantly ignoring the looks she received as she had fun. Killer Croc' looked uneasy, well as uneasy as a crocodile-man could look, Harley thought. "You okay there K.C?" Harley called over the noise of the helicopter "You look a little green" Harley teased, laughing as Killer Croc' glared at her slightly. Digger and Deadshot seemed more amused however as they flew in silence for a few minutes.

As the soldiers turned and began to talk tactics and plans, Harley felt her hidden phone vibrate. Faking a stretch, Harley pulled her phone smoothly from her bra. Harley clenched her hand around her phone and dropped her arms, her heart speeding up as she quickly glanced at the soldiers, ensuring they were all occupied she turned the screen on. Quickly entering her pin, Harley opened the messages spying one from Joker. 'I'm coming for you' Harley read the text mentally, delight running through her. She had been right, Joker knew she wasn't at Belle Reve and was taking advantage of the opportunity.

Harley smiled at her phone, looking up Harley noticed Deadshot was reading the message too. "Shhh" Harley hushed quietly, almost silently, before smiling at him. She was pleased when Deadshot smiled back, a look that told her he wasn't about to 'see the light' and jump on Flags good boy bandwagon. Harley wondered if he would have an opportunity to be free, he seemed like a man that Joker would like; well at the very least he would be less likely to destroy him in any case.

Killer Croc' leaned back slightly, his eyes closed as he groaned, causing slightly apprehensive eyes to glance at him, aside from Harley who was lost in her thoughts. "Oi! Is he supposed to be green like that?" Digger asked, leaning away from Killer Croc'. Suddenly Killer Croc' lurched forward, clutching at his stomach as he vomited noisily onto the floor. "Oh! Party foul! Not cool" Harley groaned, plugging her nose at the smell of bile and raw meat that quickly seeped into the air.

Harley pulled her feet back as Flag groaned slightly, the disgusted looks universal on the helicopter as Killer Croc' leaned back, looking much more content than he had before. A soldier opposite Killer Croc' sighed loudly at the flecks of vomit that covered his shining black boots, standing up he reached up to the rack above him and pulled down a towel. The soldier chucked the towel over the large pool of vomit and sat back, his face tense.

Harley wrinkled her nose at the smell, though it was quickly dissipated into the darkening night. Although the frat boy-esque vomiting had given Harley the distraction needed to send a quick reply of 'I miss you! Talk soon' to Joker before she slipped the phone back into her bra. Thoughts of her disgust at the vomit left quickly as she once again became giddy at the idea of seeing Joker again soon, she knew Joker well enough to assume that he knew about the explosive in her neck, but she needed to mention it to be sure that he had a plan.

As the helicopter drew closer to the city, Harley turned to the small window next to her to see what they were flying into. The streets were mostly empty, thick plumes of black smoke dotted the city, twisting up to the grey clouds. While the buildings were mostly still standing, tell tale damage of broken glass and dented metal showed that they were not untouched.

The closer to the city center they flew the worse the damage became, a bridge was demolished, still smoking and flaming. The streets were cracked and desolate, the few remaining civilians racing at the outskirts of the city, desperate to escape. An unnatural glowing blue-white beam of light shot up in the distance, the mesmerising light surrounded by swirling dark clouds and something else that Harley could not identify from the distance.

The shining light was fascinating, Harley's eyes were glued to it; she loved things that shone and sparkled. "Oooh! Look at the pretty lights" Harley exclaimed, sitting back from the window to glance around at those around her. "Are you guys seeing this?" Harley asked, as it occurred to her that she had been known to let her wild imagination take hold before. Before she could get an answer, Harley turned back to the window, beaming smile in place.

"What happened?" Deadshot called to Flag, who removed his headset to hear the man better. "Terror attack. Dirty bombs. Bad guys shooting up the place with AK's. You know, usual shit" Flag answered, his voice steady with his weak lie. Harley giggled slightly at the lie as she pulled back from the window to sit back in her seat, for a man who lived in a world of secrecy he sure was bad at lying. "Right. Yeah, you're a bad liar" Deadshot responded, slight sarcasm in his tone. "I don't know if they told you, but I'm a hitman, not a fireman. I don't save people" He added, leaning back in his seat.

"Anything for a dollar right?" Flag said, the disdain back in his face. "You know the dark places too, don't act like you don't" Deadshot shot back, laughter in his words. "I'm a soldier" Flag emphasised, "And you're a serial killer who takes credit cards. When the shooting starts, and it will, you'll cut and run" Flag said bitterly, pointing an accusing finger.

Harley smiled and twirled her hair as she payed close attention to Flag talking, he sure was defensive about being a 'good guy' she considered, he has a secret another part of her mind responded. Harley decided not to bring it up yet, she was good at getting into people's heads, she would find out his little indiscretion that made him so defensive soon enough.

As the helicopter began to lower, flying over a black river, the unmistakable sounds of gunfire filled the air. Sparks flew as the metal of the helicopter was impacted, everyone on board crouched down, weapons in hand as they tried to dodge the gunfire. The pilot grunted and fell forward, sudden darkness taking over as the helicopter let out a shrill warning alarm before dipping forward and beginning to plummet.

Startled screams left most of the passengers on board, Harley, while thankful for the belt keeping her in place against the wall, let out a scream of excitement, bat in hand. This was more thrilling than anything she had done in a long time. Harley could hear the co-pilot speaking through his headset faintly over the screams and whipping blades "6-1 is going down. 6-1 is going down hard" He said, his voice oddly calm.

An enormous metallic bang shook through Harleys bones as the street rushed up to meet the helicopter. The helicopter shook and jolted, metal flying from the carnage as it rolled over and over. Harley was having a fun time, it was like an amusement ride, made all the more fun with danger and terror; she could do without the flailing limbs hitting her ribs and legs however.

The sounds of a helicopter landing nearby could be heard once the wreckage had come to a stop, shouting of soldiers filled the air. Harley breathed heavily for a moment, happy that they had crashed onto the street rather than the river, she did not want to go back into the water after what had happened last time. "Lower the ramp, lower the ramp! Let's go!" A gruff voice commanded, as Harley released herself from her seat, rolling to the ground she bounced up.

The rest of the passengers were also picking themselves up quickly, rushing to get out of the helicopter. Everyone seemed to be okay, save for the pilots. Harley jumped down from the now sideways, smoking wreck "Woo! What a ride" She said, as her feet hit the concrete. "We're okay, assets are undamaged" Harley heard Flag say into his headset as the soldiers and criminals spilled out onto the streets, keeping a distance from the crashed helicopter as flames had appeared from it. Harley hoped it would explode, she loved explosions.

Harley tugged at her pigtails, ensuring they were still securely in place, she then patted her shirt down, brushing her hand up to ensure that the phone was still in place. As Flag walked over to the other group of soldiers, Harley stepped closer to the other group of criminals, who seemed to gravitate towards each other. "How much do you get paid to-" Harley questioned Deadshot, finishing the sentence by imitating shooting a large gun.

Deadshot smirked slightly "Enough. You can call me Floyd" He said. Harley figured he was probably being nice to her as he had seen that Joker was coming for her soon, but allies were useful in this situation. Harley was cut off from replying by Flags commanding voice yelling "All right! We're moving out!". The soldiers half raised their guns, moving in practiced unison as they followed orders. Harley huffed as she turned and skipped ahead slightly, swinging her bat by her side.

The group was lead into the streets, soldiers ahead and behind the criminals as they scouted the area. Half destroyed roadblocks littered the road, crumbling concrete from both the buildings and the street surrounded the area. The air was thick with smoke and dust, the bright lights of signs and advertisements pierced the darkness. Harley whistled as they walked past the ruins of a crashed airplane.

Harley grew irritated as she desperately wanted to contact Joker, she did not have a chance of pulling her phone out and using it unnoticed, the soldiers were currently hypervigilant. Harley walked calmly beside Floyd, she had some level of trust for him right now, as he had not immediately tried to tell anyone about her hidden phone or blackmail her for it. Although there was no honour among thieves, he was looking like the most useful person right now; it was nice to talk to someone she didn't immediately want to kill, she hadn't had that in quite some time.


	33. Chapter Thirty Three

**Author's Note: I find it amusing how many people (who are not from Australia or New Zealand) struggle to understand what Captain Boomerang is saying, so worry no more I have written them all. Cheers to all who read etc, I know it may seem drawn out how I split these chapters but it gets too rushed and just looks like a movie script if I put it all at once. Let me know what you think. The plus side of these shorter chapters is that I will update them much quicker.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Thirty Three.**_

Harley kept her pace even as she watched all of those around her. She stayed at Floyd's side as the group made their way through the grim streets. She knew a little of his work; he never missed, and never took out anyone other than his target. Of all the people around her, she had some semblance of respect for him, he would be an asset to be on friendly terms with.

Harley slowed her pace gradually as she spotted Digger walking closely to Slipknot, she could spot trouble brewing from a mile away; although it was usually much closer and she was more often than not involved. Harley stopped and kneeled, pretending to re-tie her shoelace as Digger and Slipknot walked past her. Once they had passed, Harley stood up and resumed walking, now beside Killer Croc'. Digger leaned to the side slightly, closer to Slipknot as he began speaking lowly. "Mind games" He stated, Slipknot looked at him disdainfully "What's that?" He asked as both men turned forward, trying to be casual about their conversation.

"All this bomb in the neck crap. That ain't real mate. See they're trying to trap us with our own minds, right? But look around, we're free bro'" Digger spoke conspiratorially. Harley hopped over a large beam keeping her demeanor casual as she listened to the plans of the two criminals. "How do you know this?" Slipknot asked somewhat suspiciously. "Just trust me, I know, all right? It's a con" Digger stated. "Now I'm going, because I've got a life to live. The question is, are you coming?" Digger continued.

"Yeah" Slipknot responded simply. "Smart" Digger responded. Harley was suspicious of Diggers motives, she too recognised cons when she saw them, and Digger didn't have a reason right now to get Slipknot to escape with him, she suspected that he was going to use Slipknot as some sort of test, because that was very much something she would do. The group turned a corner, the street opened up to reveal a large flaming jet blocking one of the paths. Harley became very suspicious, something was bringing down everything that flew over the city, of course the story they were given was weak, but this wasn't something Harley had seen before.

As the group made their way up the street, Slipknot and Digger flew into motion. Digger punched the guard closest to him squarely in the face while Slipknot swept the legs out from the guard closest to him. Katana turned around to see the commotion, she pulled her sword from its sheath in one smooth motion, it glinted in the night, catching Diggers eye, he whipped out a boomerang, throwing it precisely at her neck. Katana flipped fluidly, avoiding the boomerang.

Digger winced at the flip, turning he made a run for it as Katana gained on him quickly. Slipknot used the distraction to pull a piece of gear from his back, he aimed high up a towering building in front of him, a grappling hook flew from the device, attaching to the tower. He was quickly whipped up, sailing to the building before him. As he reached the building Katana lunged forward and caught Digger, pressing him up against concrete wall as she pressed the blade of her sword to his throat, effectively freezing him in place. Harleys gaze flickered between the two men.

Digger raised his hand suddenly, easily catching his boomerang, "Sorry, it's what I do" He said, surprisingly calmly to Katana, the sword still pressed to his jugular. The soldiers raised their guns, all aiming at Slipknot as he began to scale the building. "Hold your fire!" Flag ordered, as the men lowered their weapons Flag pulled his wrist up, looking closely at a device. His face was stern as pressed something on the devices screen.

Harley quickly understood what he had done. Slipknot, who was making a daring leap between the buildings, was midway through the air when his head seemed to exploded. Like a pulpy water balloon, Harley thought, as she watched Slipknot's now decapitated body thump against the side of a building, where it then hung. "Now that's a killer app" Harley laughed, swinging her bat back around to rest on her shoulders.

Harley felt a small amount of concern at the idea of the explosive in her neck, she trusted Joker, but she needed to know he a method of disarming it before she made a break for it to get to him."Ooh. That's like the world's worst pinata" Harley stated as a chunk of unidentifiable flesh fell from Slipknot's body to the ground below with a wet thump.

Flag waved a group of soldiers on ahead as he turned back to look at the group of criminals. "Okay. You wanna keep playing the Hollywood squares version of 'I'll blow your frickin' head off'?" He said, his voice agitated. Harley rubbed the back of her neck mindlessly, wondering how it would be removed.

Flag walked past the line of prisoners, studying them. "You next?" He asked Diablo. "You're trippin' homie" Diablo responded. "You next Deadshot?" He asked gruffly next, stopping in front of the group. Deadshot walked up to the front of the man quickly "You just threaten me?" He asked, his posture staunch. "Oh yeah" Flag replied, meeting Deadshot's gaze. "He just threatened me" Deadshot said, pointing a finger at Flag as he turned and walked back to the group."Move" Flag ordered, as he turned and walked ahead. Harley turned and noticed that Katana still had Digger pinned to the wall. "You got a boyfriend?" Harley heard him ask, face serious as Katana let go of Digger harshly.

Harley started walking and was soon joined by Deadshot who began walking beside her. "Alright I'm going to kill him" He said quietly to Harley, his gaze on Flag. "Well you better make it quick, 'cause he's going to kill all of us one by one" Harley said, glancing around casually as she ensured that none of the soldiers caught their conversation. "I'm gonna drop him, the sword lady, and five or seven of these soldiers, after that I'm going to need some help. You down?" Floyd asked, looking at Harley sideways. "Always. What about the shit in our necks?" Harley replied, her face uncharacteristically serious as they plotted, she wasn't sure about escaping without Joker already there to disarm the devices, but she was sure she'd have fun trying; what was life without a little risk, or a lot of risk.

"Your friends going to help us out with that, right?" Floyd pushed lightly. The pair slowed to a stop as Harley studied Floyd for a moment. She could never guarantee the safety of anyone once she and Joker were reunited, she liked Floyd well enough though. Harley smiled at him slowly, tapping his shoulder with the handle of her bat "You're my friend too" She said, a wide smile on her face. Floyd hummed slightly in amusement "Stay evil, dollface. Spread the word" He said, moving forward and walking ahead.

Harley watched him for a moment, her mind plotting escape plans and often twisting off into ways she could destroy all the people who had held her. Harley stayed still for a moment longer as Digger walked passed her, he seemed like a safe bet to agree on their escape plan. Harley walked up to his side, keeping pace beside him. "So, I'm thinking if we move together we can kill all these guys and go our separate ways. Yeah?" Harley suggested with a smile, swaying her body a little more as she noticed him glance sideways at her, not that he would need much more persuasion.

"Sounds good" He agreed easily. "Spread the word" Harley added, walking to the side as Digger picked up his pace to walk beside Diablo. "Psst, hey" He whispered, reaching Diablos side. "We need your help man. When the time is right, you hit Flag with a fireball. He'll be too busy burning to death to have a go at us with his bloody phone of doom" Digger said, keeping his head faced forward as he spoke lowly.

"Then what?" Diablo asked, his face difficult to decipher under the heavy tattooing. Harley had a feeling he would be useless, despite his enormous power, what a waste she huffed. "Then we get out of here" Digger stated, his tone heavily implying the answer was obvious. "And do what?" Diablo persisted. Diggers face twisted into annoyance "What are you, bloody Socrates?" Digger asked, his voice a little louder in his annoyance.

As Harley heard Diggers voice raising slightly she rolled her eyes, the soldier's closest to her would hear if they got any closer. Harley spun to walk backwards, still listening intently to Digger as she smiled at them brightly. She didn't say a word as she began twirling around them breezily, capturing their attention as they eyed her in a strange mix of distaste and hazy lust. They soldiers exchanged a glance and dropped back slightly, putting a little more distance between themselves and Harley. With a laugh she turned back around, they were too easy.

While Harley had herded the soldiers back, Digger had glance at Diablo in distasteful surprise. "Ease with all the questions. Freedom man! Freedom, you remember that, don't you?" Digger exclaimed lowly. "We're criminals, you know that right?" Diablo responded. "Yeah and it's great. Come on, do the bastard" Digger persisted before speeding up away from Diablo, who did not reply. Harley rolled her eyes once again, a criminal trying to 'reform', how annoying.

As Digger neared Killer Croc', Diablo called out to Digger. "Hey be careful, he eats people" Diablo warned. "Sorry Mother Superior, what?" Digger called back, a mocking tone easing into his voice. "He eats people for reals, homie. He's a cannibal" Diablo stated again. Digger nodded with a mocking "Ah" and walked ahead, reaching Killer Croc'. Harley sped up to Diablos side, deciding to get a definite answer on his part.

She sidled up to him and draped an arm around his shoulders, before she could speak Diablo held up a hand "No" He said firmly, shrugging Harley off and walking ahead. Harley stopped for a moment, face dark as he walked off, he had annoyed her. She did not take well to others annoying her. What good was a person who refused to do anything, good or bad. Harley wondered why he was even here, not that any of them had much of a choice in the matter.

Her thoughts were distracted by Killer Croc' roaring and sending Digger flying out to the side with one sweeping arm. Harley sped up, as all the soldiers turned their guns towards the commotion. Upon seeing it was just Digger, struggling to get up from a pile of plastic trays and trash bags, they turned ahead. Harley stared down at Digger in irritation "What did you say to him?" She asked. "Nothing, just having a laugh. No worries, yeah" Digger dismissed as he finally struggled his way up from the pile to stand before walking away quickly.

Harley made eye contact with Floyd as he shook his head, his frustration shared by Harley. It seemed like they were the only two actually capable of doing anything. Harley walked ahead quickly to stand by Killer Croc' "So what did he say to make you all upset K.C?" She asked lightly, Killer Croc' rolled his eyes at her slightly, but did not answer. "Come on, Doctor patient confidentiality" Harley pursued, though she normally did not like speaking of her bad past before meeting Joker, it was much easier with Killer Croc' and Joker, criminals who had known her at both points. Killer Croc' gave a low rumble that sounded close to a laugh "Wanted to know how many of the soldiers I could eat" He responded, surprising Harley, getting answers from him was like getting blood from a stone.

Harley laughed slightly, shooting a beaming smile at Killer Croc', "I don't think they'd taste good, they're too _bland._ No flavour" Harley pondered aloud, though she got no further response from Killer Croc', other than a flash of his teeth, which could have been a smirk or a threat. Harley walked slowly as the group reached the end of the alley they had been walking through, she was getting bored. She needed some action or she needed to escape, hopefully a little of both.


	34. Chapter Thirty Four

**Author's Note: Cheers to people who point out when there are errors so I can go fix them, when I write chapters on my phone my autocorrect is a real dick about the characters names and the locations. A couple things are in a different order (nothing too important) because it fits better. Also for reference, 'bearded soldier' is Lt. Edwards; but for the most part in this Harley calls him 'bearded soldier' because his name has not yet come up; so yes I do know what his actual name is haha. Not one of my best chapters, I don't think, but let me know what you think.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Thirty Four.**_

The small alley way opened up to a broad street lined by towering brick buildings, which were currently dark and empty, with chunks of stonework missing. The street, which would normally never sleep, looked eerie in its current state as it was now cracked and littered with debris. Harley stepped smoothly around the fresh potholes and piles of rubble, keeping her footsteps silent despite her nonchalance.

Fire flickered towards the end of the street from what looked like the mangled remains of a vehicle from the distance Harley was at. The air was thick with smoke and tension. The buzzing of one of the soldiers coms buzzed through the silence "I'm standing by for follow though on tasking" Spoke the garbled voice. The soldiers checked the street suspiciously before they moved ahead.

As the parade of soldiers and criminals passed through the street, a twisted wreck caught Harleys attention. The middle of the almost unidentifiable car was blasted out, leaving a dip followed by a blasted trail of what once were car parts. The rest of the vehicle looked as though it had been melted, it was definitely not normal, Harley thought, eyeing it closely. She wondered what kind of threat had come to the city, what threat was large enough for the government officials to gather the best of the worst and set them upon it.

Flag stopped as he caught sight of the skeletal remains of the vehicle, not responding to the muffled buzzing of his com, Harley could not make out what the garbled voice said from her position. The handsome bearded soldier Harley had noticed turned to Flag "Boss, we got people up here" He said, voice quiet and serious. Harley turned to peer down the street, catching sight of shadowed figures in the distance. Flag stared out at the distance for a moment, before picking his com up "I'm on my way" He said, taking off down the street.

The soldiers communicated silently with hand gestures, their footsteps light as they moved down the war torn street. The group of criminals exchanged glances without a word, as the soldiers positioned themselves down the street, taking cover with their weapons raised. Harley moved to the front of the group, listening carefully as Flag lifted his com to his mouth "-we have hostiles up ahead" She was able to catch him say. Harley shifted her position slightly, getting a better view of the scene before her as she swung her bat up; prepared to have some fun.

"Flag get out of there, we're not here to fight them. We know that doesn't work" Harley heard the reply coming from the coms clearly in the silent street. That was interesting, who was it that the American military would be ordered not to fight in an attack, how unpatriotic not to go charging in, guns blazing, Harley considered. This was definitely becoming more interesting by the second.

"Copy that, we're diverting" Harley heard Flag respond to the order. As Flag began giving quiet orders to the bearded soldier, the criminal group moved closer, standing wisely behind an abandoned car. Harley leaned her arms against Floyd and Digger as they all listened closely, puzzling out what was going on. "Bump out second squad two blocks east. We'll pass through you, continue north. Take bravo two blocks east. We'll leapfrog through you once you're in position" Flag commanded. "Copy that" The soldier responded, nodding quickly.

As large number of the soldiers began pulling back, heading back down the alley to their alternate route, Harley, Digger, and Floyd leaned closer to talk. Killer Croc' stood a few steps behind them, clearly listening, as Diablo stood further back from the group; distancing himself. "Hey, I like these odds mate. You just say the word" Digger whispered to the group around him. Harley stared up at Floyd, who was watching the street ahead with a distant look on his face. Harley tapped his shoulder "Come on" She pushed.

Floyd glanced at them, before staring back out at the street, his face distracted. "Yeah, uh, hold that thought" Floyd said, pulling away as he walked around the car. Floyd pulled a glowing red device over one of his eyes as he made his way towards Flag. Harley frowned at the sight, wondering what he was doing. "Rick, why do they look like that?" Harley heard the soldier next to Flag ask him, as Floyd slowly walked towards the men. "Stay cool" Flag responded, glancing at the man. "What the hell are they?" Floyd asked, his face shadowed from Harleys view. She glanced again at the unmoving, black, vaguely human shaped figures in the distance. What the hell were they? "You cut and run, I'll blow your head off" Flag replied, avoiding answering, Harley noticed.

Katana widened her stance, standing firmly as she pulled her glinting sword free, whispering something Harley could not make out, even with her excellent hearing that had only been improved by her chemical bath. Floyd raised his gun, aiming steadily at the hostile figures. The minute Harley saw that his aim was not on any of the soldiers, she understood what was about to happen.

A sick, bubbling roar came from one of the hostiles, before they all seemed to turn at once and rush forwards, their gate distinctly human. "Hit 'em!" Flag yelled, as bullets began to rain down upon the advancing creatures, blowing black matter through the air as their bodies arched down to the ground. Harley watched the scene for a moment, before pulling her gun from the inside of her jacket, cocking it quickly. As Harley had reached for her weapon, she heard a crack, and a growl. The crack had evidently been from Diggers now opened beer as he crouched low, the growl from Killer Croc' as he dropped his hood back, teeth bared.

The creatures moved amazingly quickly, even with their bulky, strange forms. "Huh" Harley said aloud as she stared ahead, surprised that she had actually found herself on the same side as these soldiers. Who would have guessed, she thought. One of the creatures managed to avoid the hail of bullets as it leapt over a car some soldiers were using as cover. It landed heavily on top of one of the soldiers with a growl, quickly followed by more black creatures leaping over the car. "Hey! Hey get off me!" The soldier yelled as he struggled with the being, which seemed to be wrestling his gun away.

Katana let out a cry as she leapt forward, blade blurring through the air as she sliced through the attacking beings, leaping and ducking between the creatures. Harley stalked ahead firmly, gun raised as she blew the head off of every beast she came across, taking a moment to wonder again what the hell they were as she saw their black, uneven, humanoid bodies crack and burst like old stone.

Harley kept track automatically of where everyone on her 'side' was as she blasted through the monsters, Diablo stood uselessly to the side, staring ahead. Floyd too was blasting through the beasts with incredible precision. Harley could hear Killer Croc' growling somewhere behind her, she assumed he was ripping the things apart, she wondered what they tasted like absently. She suspected Digger was drinking his beer behind the car as he slipped lowly down a nearby alley, though she did spot his boomerang whipping through the air.

Harley let out a laugh as she spotted Killer Croc', he was indeed ripping through the things, as she had spotted him he had tossed one of the beasts easily through the air, sending him flying into a flaming car with a crunching smash. Harley sighed as her gun clicked, depleted out of bullets, she had no time to deal with ammo right now. As she tucked her gun back into her jacket, Harley twirled her reinforced bat around "Batter up!" She called loudly in a sing-song tone as she hefted the head of one of the beasts off with a grunt. Harley lost herself in the motions as she beat the beasts into crumbling black pieces, enjoying the anger she was releasing.

The sounds of grunting, growling, smashing, and gun fire became background noise as Harley ducked and twisted her way around the hostiles, face set as she destroyed them one by one. A part of Harley's mind still kept track of where everyone was, losing track of your surroundings was dangerous, Harley thought vaguely as she smashed a beast nearly in half, Joker had told her that.

Digger was somewhere at the back, having just been hit in the face he gave a quick smile as he pulled boomerangs out from his coat and began slicing through the creatures. Harley wondered if she was bringing her imagination into real life again as she spotted what seemed to be a stuffed, pink unicorn fly from his jacket to the ground, followed by him calling "Pinky!" And scooping the plush animal up. Her attention was quickly diverted from the stuffed animal, as Flag was rushed by at least four of the creatures, they seemed to be trying to carry him off as he struggled "Get off me you son of a bitch!" Harley heard him grunt. She smiled at the sight, laughing slightly.

"Flag!" One of the soldiers yelled, attempting to shoot his way to the man. "Good riddance" Harley said aloud, landing in a crouch as she smashed through another beast. "Harley! He dies, we die!" Floyd shouted, gun lowered. Harley turned slightly, noticing him watching. Harley sighed loudly in annoyance, rolling her eyes as she stood and ran towards Flag. Raising her bat, she began to beat down the beasts, sending their crumbling bodies flying through the air as the bearded soldier gunned down more of the monsters around them.

Harley swung her bat over her shoulder as the soldier reached Flag as well. Harley and the Bearded Man, as she had come to think of him, simultaneously held a hand out to Flag, which he grabbed with a grunt as they pulled him up from the ground. "Thanks" Flag said casually. Harley pushed past him "Shut up" She responded firmly, running ahead to beat more of the beasts down.

Harley took off, annoyed at her actions. She did not want to save Flag, but she enjoyed beating down the monsters; their silhouettes human shaped despite the appearance of thick, black, rock coating them. She wasn't stupid, she knew there was something big going on; she just didn't care too much. Her priorities lay with escaping from the hold of that prick Flag and the devil woman Waller, by an ironic twist that she was not enjoying, her chance at escaping alive currently meant she needed to keep Flag alive.

Harley ran by a soldier aiming what seemed to be a large device designed to shoot explosives, the exact make difficult to make out around the swarms of soldiers and monsters. "Backblast, clear!" A soldier next to him yelled above the sounds of the battle. His words were followed by an explosion as the device was used, tearing to pieces a small grouping of the monsters. Harley stopped for a moment to enjoy the explosion, she had always loved the dramatics and the flare explosions held.

Her easily distracted delight at the explosion was soon chased away as Harley once again found herself annoyed at being on the side of the people who held her captive. She did not have a side, she had Joker. Joker and her were not a _side._ They simply were. They are chaos, they do what they do, with who they chose to keep around. This good and evil business was making her itch.

With that in mind Harley began whirling her bat around, beating anything close to her, which happened to be a smattering of the creatures; though Harley wouldn't have cared if it had been a soldier. Harley laughed slightly, her mind calming as she put her force into her actions. As she spun around the cracked concrete, dipping between two burnt, and destroyed cars, Harley caught sight of Floyd standing at at the front line of the battle, taking down creatures at a lightening speed, for a bad boy he certainly made a convincing good boy, Harley thought.

The growls and shredding noises coming from her right hand side suggested that Killer Croc' was having a good time tearing the things apart, Harley suspected he was seeking them out, as they were being torn apart faster than they could get to him. A flash of a boomerang as Harley knocked the head off of a creature indicated that Digger was still fighting, which was surprising, and Harley didn't need to look for her to know that Katana would still be battling. Diablo, however, stood unmoving at the far back, arms limply at his side as he watched the events.

The numbers of the beasts were dwindling quickly, Harley was disappointed, she wasn't even close to finished beating her frustrations out yet. This was more fun than she'd had in a long time. The group was rapidly gaining ground, fighting their way forward as the piles of crumbling, creature remains spread quickly across the pavement. Harley spotted a couple of the beasts making their way around the edge of the fighting, glancing around quickly, Harley spotted a rusting red pickup truck abandoned near them.

With a grin, Harley ran at the truck, launching herself onto the hood, with only a single hand on the roof of the truck Harley kept her momentum going, her body arching artistically through the air, over the truck. Harley landed in the bed of the truck, with a thump, catching the attention of the beasts, who had been moving past the truck, to attack at the flanks of the soldiers formation. With a grin, Harley raised her bat and swung at one of the beasts, the right half of its head crumbling in response. With a tight flip off of the truck, Harley landed behind the beasts, quickly beating them down to the road below.

With a huff, Harley turned to look at the group, a sudden silence taking the dense air by surprise as the beasts all seemed to have been destroyed. Harley watched as Floyd jumped down from his position on top of a bullet riddled police car, turning back to look at the soldiers behind him. "That's how I cut and run" Harley heard Floyd say to Flag firmly as he walked past the man. Her attention was quickly turned to one of the beasts by her feet. She frowned for a moment as she stared, wondering if it had really just twitched.

With a shrug, Harley lifted her bat high into the air and brought it down solidly onto the beast, quickly repeating the motion as she beat the thing down. "I - have - had - a - really - bad - time - lately - no - time- for - this - shit" Harley huffed, her words coming out breathily, punctuated by a blow to the beast between each word. "Hey" Harley heard a slightly reprimanding voice call to her side, freezing with her bat in the air she glanced up, catching sight of Floyd staring at her. "Hey, come on" He said, waving a hand dismissively at her actions as Killer Croc' and Diablo made their way over to the pair.

"What?" Harley asked as innocently as she could "I saw it move" She said, eyes wide. Harley kicked the thing in the side, watching it as it twitched, or maybe just jolted from the impact. "See? It flinched… I think" She said, her voice not entirely convincing, as she leaned down to peer closer at the beast. Crunching footsteps had Harley straightening up as Digger approached the group. "You were some help Princess" He spoke accusingly to Diablo. Diablo looked up at him, face masked from emotion "It's better this way. Trust me" He responded, waving a hand through the air, leaving a flaming skull in the air.

As the skull dissipated, Digger gave an exaggerated low gasp "Oh yeah. You're the fire bloke, 'eh?" He said, his voice low and mocking. "I was, yeah" Diablo agreed. "Right, yeah. Hey look at this" Digger said, pulling a lighter from his pocket. Flicking it on he waved a hand over the small flame "Well lookie here, it's fire! Oooh" He taunted, eyes wide. Harley sniggered from where she stood, watching the scene before her.

The heavy footsteps approaching behind Harley told her that the soldiers had finally come to supervise the criminal groups little party. "The brief said terrorist. You want to start explaining this?" Bearded soldiers voice spoke quietly behind Harley. "If I told you, would you believe me?" Flags unmistakable voice responded. Digger kneeled down suddenly, as he pulled something glinting from the rubble of what had once been a beast. He wiped it on his sleeve, as Harley realised it was a watch, her interest peaked. She liked watches. Digger shook the watch slightly, holding it up to his ear.

Harley turned to Flag, attention back on his words. "What are they?" She questioned. "I don't know" He replied simply as he brushed past the group. "That's bullshit" Floyd jumped in, moving a step closer. Flag sighed and stopped walking, turning to face the group. "Thing is, he owned a three thousand dollar watch" Floyd added, pointing to the beast Harley had been beating as he walked closer to Flag, staring at the man. "Is that a person?" He added, his voice holding slight disbelief.

"It was. Now it's not" Flag emphasised, tilting his head to the side. A part of Harley's mind flew through the puzzles and scenarios that would cause a man to turn into the beast Harley had been destroying, while another part of her considered how she would be able to take the watch to add to her collection, it would be one of her most unique trophies. Flag turned on his heel, catching sight of Digger holding the watch he had pulled from the ground "Hey, don't!" He called, causing Digger to stand up straight, quickly joined by Killer Croc' who breathed out a growl as he stepped closer to the tense pair.

"We got a job to do. We're moving" He said, voice low as he stared Digger in the eyes. Flag then turned to bearded soldier "Get your boys moving" He ordered. There was a moment of silence as the soldiers stared each other down, before bearded soldier turned towards the men behind him "Let's go" He called with a nod. As all the soldiers stepped forward, heading down a short alley, Harley hung back, stepping over the rubble carefully. With a glance ahead, she leaned down and pulled the expensive watch from the beast, slipping it into her pocket. Just because he was ugly, didn't mean he couldn't be a trophy, she thought. Her imagination turning to what Joker would say when she showed him her newest addition.


	35. Chapter Thirty Five

**Author's Note: I apologise for the absence, I know my reasoning does little to make it less annoying so instead I will say I will try not to let it happen again. Thank you to everyone who continues to read this, and thank you to those who leave comments that are either constructive or pleasant, you rock. There is a piece in here which some of the more intense Harley fans will recognise.**

 **To the reviewer who left a comment that was neither helpful nor insightful; of course this fanfiction has a large number of scenes 'straight from the movie' it is a Suicide Squad fanfiction. It says pretty clearly that I'm changing pieces (also not sure which Joker you think I don't know anything about, because he's different in most portrayals, including mine which is also stated clearly) but that I am keeping the best parts which form the movie.**

 **Please if you're going to leave a negative comment at least put a little thought and brain power into it and make it constructive, because otherwise they're just funny.**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty Five.**

Harley could feel the tension in the air; it was interesting watching things fall apart when she had no role in the commotion. The soldiers followed their orders strictly, walking forward cautiously in the dark streets, but Harley could feel their confusion and anger. It seemed they didn't know much more than the criminals did, that gave Harley the perfect ammunition to test their bounds a little.

Harley sped up to walk beside the bearded soldier, who glanced at her warily, before looking ahead in an attempt to dissuade her conversation. "So you must know all about what's going on here, huh beard man? You lead one of the no-fun brigades" Harley questioned lightly, eyes wide in a false innocence. The man glanced at her once again, Harley caught the tension in the crease between his eyes, it said more than his words could. "I've been briefed on what I need to know" He replied shortly. Harley 'ahh'ed' in understanding mockingly "Oh I get it, you and your boys are the cannon fodder, huh, beard man? The muscle doesn't need to know the details" Harley said, taunting slightly.

The man's face darkened momentarily before he shook his head. "It's Lieutenant Edwards to you. I know what I need to. We both know who the real cannon fodder is here" He replied, tone icy. Harley laughed loudly, skipping ahead a step and turning around to walk backwards so she could keep looking at Lieutenant Edwards face. "Doesn't that make you curious Eddy? Who the big baddie is that's so much of a threat they bring the their own big baddies out to fix it, or take the blame for it?" Harley taunted, she could almost see her words twisting into Edward's brain, planting the seed of mistrust.

"Oh but I forgot" Harley said before Edwards could answer "You're the muscle, not the brains" Harley finished tapping the side of her head with a short giggle. Harley turned ahead and walked away from the man. "Your mind games won't work on me" Edwards called after her. Harley smirked to herself but did not turn around "Are they really my mind games?" Harley called back. She could feel the doubt in the man as he remained quiet, not replying. Floyd glanced at her side ways, seemingly having caught the end of the conversation. "Playing games, crazy?" He asked, something of a humourous fondness in his tone. Harley smiled widely at him "Life's a game" She answered vaguely. Floyd huffed a laughed and nodded, turning ahead.

Harley walked ahead as she caught Flag picking up his com, wanting to know all that she could about their situation. "Waller we are moving on with the objective. We lost contact with Bravo, you got a visual?" He asked. Harley found that equally interesting and annoying for two reasons. The first being that Waller was actively in charge of their expedition, that fact that she could see them had Harley glancing up at the dark sky suspiciously, she stuck her tongue out as she looked up for good measure. The second interesting fact being that the team of soldiers that had been sent ahead was missing.

"Stand by" Came the short reply from the other end of the com. After a moment of silence the com buzzed "Flag it's a negative. They were engaged when you were but we lost them" Amanda's voice replied, Harley smiled at the slight panic in her voice, chaos was Harleys natural state of being; the game was being played to Harleys strengths now. Harley dropped back as the conversation ended uneasily.

The street the group had turned onto was clearly an expensive avenue, with expensive name brand stores and over priced restaurants, Harley found herself gazing at the clothing and jewellery displays in the store fronts, it had been so long since she had been shopping. Some of her favourite adventures with Joker were when they went out on wild sprees taking pretty things, sometimes to keep, sometimes to burn, just to watch how people would react when there was no obvious goal or plan to their actions.

A brightly lit display caught her attention, bringing her to a halt. Sparkly, part of Harley's mind said as something glittering in the window caught her eye. Like a moth to a flame, Harley was drawn to all things bright and beautiful. Joker had once mocked her obsession, telling her he would put her useless desire to good work by taking her to a jewel vault, Harley had laughed at his snappish mood and had kissed his cheek firmly despite his refusal to respond in his mood.

Harley frowned at the memory, she missed Joker, she wanted it all back, the good and the bad. The times he would lose his control and trash a room and the times he would hold her tightly with a wild laugh she ached for equally. She was a wild woman and she wanted her wild man. Joker and Harley were similar in many ways, the wild mood swings and arguably severe lack of 'sanity' included.

Blinking out of her thoughts Harley studied the bag that had caught her eye for a moment. The bag was expensive, glittering all over like a diamond with a tasteful thin golden strap. Without a thought Harley lifted her bat and hefted it into the window. The shattering crash that rung through the silent night caused every person in the vicinity to jump and turn to her, weapons raised and ready to fire. Harley ignored them as she reached in through the hole she had created and snatched the bag from the display, carefully avoiding the glinting shards of glass that now lined the street at her feet.

"Seriously? What the hell is wrong with you people?" Flag asked, his words full of spite. Harley slung the bag over her shoulder and rolled her eyes "We're bad guys, it's what we do" She stated, tone clearly conveying that she thought that it should be obvious to him. There was another moment as the soldiers watched her with a surprised wariness, and the rest of the criminals eyed her in varying degrees of amusement, though it was hard to tell what Killer Croc' and Diablo were thinking as their unusual faces covered emotion well.

A low, amused snort from Killer Croc' broke the moment of tension as the soldiers turned forward and continued on their way up the street. Harley skipped over the broken glass, threading through the various people spread across the street. Part of her mind was up in the clouds, thinking of how good it would be back with Joker, the other part was studying and assessing everyone around her, trying to judge who she should be listening to.

Harley stopped beside Killer Croc', who walked a small distance behind Flag and Floyd. Whether it was because Flag and Floyd were leading the group, or because of Killer Croc's presence, a wide berth was given to the group. Harley stared ahead at Flag and Floyd for a moment, they were similar, like leaders of opposing countries. They might not hold the same beliefs, but they fought the same way for what they did believe.

Harley nudged Killer Croc' in the side slightly with her elbow "I didn't realise we were blacksite prison mates, we could have been roomies!" Harley said, smiling at Killer Croc' with a hint of sarcasm in her tone. The reptilian man huffed in what could have been in laughter or annoyance, it was hard to tell sometimes, and glanced at her from under his hood. "I mean that would be some seriously ironic karmic shit, right? Your good ol' shrink becoming your cell mate" Harley continued, unperturbed by the lack of a reply.

"I always knew you were crazy anyway" Killer Croc' rumbled eventually. Harley laughed loudly, gaining some wary glances, and leaned up to Killer Croc' as far as she could. "So did I" Harley mock whispered. A flash of large, sharp teeth in a dangerous reptilian mock smile was the reply she received.

Those words had Harley thinking of a time a couple months after she had joined Joker when a memory of her life before him had come to mind, one that stood out among the hazy mess of memories before she became whole. The memory stood out, she suspected, because it had involved Joker in however small of a way. They had been in Joker's office, he had been sorting through his weaponry, while Harley had sat on the edge of his desk, swinging her legs.

"I was crazy before I met you, ya' know Mister J" Harley had piped up suddenly. Bringing her legs up to sit cross legged on the desk. The man had grinned his dark smile slowly. "I knew that the moment you, uh, walked into our cozy little cell" He had replied. Harley smiled adoringly at him in reply "I didn't know it before University, but the nasty man there showed me why you were the one I needed to be with. I pushed down the crazy then, how boring" She said, her words slightly disjointed as she sorted through the foggy memory of how she had come to the realisation that she needed to be with Joker, even if she had fooled herself into thinking it was to help him at the time.

Joker's eyes glinted in interest at her words "Tell me what the bad, bad man did" He crooned, dark amusement and anger playing across his face. Harley swayed her head back and forth for a moment, putting together the memories in her mind. "I dated a guy, named Guy" She began, laughing at her words. "He was smart, he studied psychiatry too. He even made up his own concoction that he called a 'Think Drink' to help him study" She had shifted to lean towards Joker as she had told her story.

"I was over-worked then, failing my classes, poor little girl working too hard" She had faked an exaggerated pout at this, gaining a bark of a laugh from Joker. "So Doctor Markus, oh-so-kindly suggested I put my thesis, Love and Crime, to the test; using Guy. I agreed, it was all under control" Harley's face had given off dark amusement at her words.

"So one day, I went to Guy, distraught and tearful I told him a little story. Mean old Doctor Markus was going to fail me, so I had panicked and said I would accuse him of raping me if he didn't pass me. Then I told him all about how the bad Doctor pulled a gun on me, he recorded me blackmailing him, and then tried to kill me. But oh what could I do but try to get the gun from him, in the struggle he had been shot and I ran from the scene in a stolen car. Oh but the police would be after me I told him. I was convincing, I could have been an actor" Harley had informed Joker, placing her hands on either sides of her face and pouting sweetly at the man.

"So then Guy, all wild eyed and horrified, ran off before I could ask him if he would still love me, before I could complete the experiment. He took the gun from his nightstand and drove away, intent on finishing off Doctor Markus. I followed him, and found him too late, he had killed a homeless man who he had thought was Doctor Markus. Too horrified about having killed an innocent man, he shot himself in the head on the spot" Harley mimed shooting herself, mouthing 'Pow' with the motion. Joker's eyes were frozen on her as she spoke.

"But then, then I found out that bad old Doctor Markus had been running his very own experiment. He had poured diluted Joker Venom into Guys' Think Drink, which had made him so very irrational. I got my little revenge, telling him I knew, he passed me to keep me quiet so that I would not have to return to his classes for the rest of my time at University. Then, before I left, I spiked every liquid in his house with the very same diluted Joker Venom" Harley finished her story "That is when I understood you, about how right you are about people not being in control. About chaos" She finished, smiling at Joker.

He had stared at her for a long moment, eyes cool as she had told him the story, before laughing wildly, pressing his hand to her throat he had held her to the wall, staring at her smiling face. Though the position could have been considered aggressive, Harley knew better, he was testing her; testing to see if she was as truly mad as he was.

When Harley had shown no signs of panic or distress, he had kissed her deeply, his hand moving from her throat to the back of her neck. Pulling her head back quickly his manic gaze had met hers "And they thought I made you crazy" He had rasped. Harley had laughed along with him, she saw it much more clearly now than she had then, but it had always been known to her, no matter how deep down, that she was wonderfully crazy.

Bringing herself out of the memory, Harley swung her bat over her shoulder once more, reassured that Joker would come for her. He knew her as well as she knew him, she was crazy, truly, but she was also intelligent.


	36. Chapter Thirty Six

**Author's Note: A shit week of having my bag, wallet, and phone stolen, is made slightly better by writing about some of my favourite fictional people. Joker should come around again (not in a scene from the movie) soon. I apologise if this is dialogue heavy from the movie? It feels wrong and out of pace just to skip it, thoughts? As always please read and review, your time and thoughts are appreciated. More subtle, and not so subtle, changes in this chapter, mostly due to the changes I have made in Harley's history.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Thirty Six.**_

Harley was getting bored, which had hardly ever led to a pleasant outcome for those around her. She debated back and forth in her head on whether or not she should just start cracking skulls, she dismissed the idea. She would need a distraction to get to Flag, where she would need to disarm him of his weapons and his device that would activate the explosive in her neck. If Amanda Waller was involved, Harley knew she would also be likely to have one of the devices, so keeping him as a hostage would be the only chance she would have of keeping her head attached until she got to Joker.

Humming, Harley shook the thoughts from her head, that would have to be her backup plan. The crunching of gravel and glass under the heavy booted feet of the men around her was the only sound breaking the grim atmosphere, allowing Harley to catch the beginning of a conversation of Flag and Floyd ahead of her.

"Hey, Deadshot" Called Flag quietly, speeding up slightly to walk along the abandoned pavement beside the man. "I've been thinking, we don't come together, and no one's walking out of here alive" He said, his tone serious as he glanced at the man. Harley looked around quickly, no one else seemed to be paying attention to the duo, too intent on the surrounding streets.

"Mm" Floyd acknowledged, nodding his head slightly "And?" He asked, his eyebrows raised. "These people respect you, you got influence" Flag continued. Harley held back a snort, divide and conquer, she supposed. Trying to get Floyd on board with him was an expected tactic. "Yeah. What's your play right now?" Floyd asked. Harley giggled at that, wondering if he was playing dumb or if he just hadn't put the pieces together yet.

"You're a man of your word right?" Flag asked in return, causing Floyd to huff out a sarcastic laugh. "I want my mission, and you want your life and your kid back. You help me keep this Mardi Gras parade in line, I'll hook you up" Flag stated, a glint in his eye. Harley raised an eyebrow, she hadn't been made any special offers. Why did Flag want Floyd on side so badly? He had enough control as it was with his team and his charming explosive device.

"Waller is the puppet master, you aint got shit to hook me up with" Floyd dismissed. Harley frowned up at the sky once again, flipping off the night sky above her. She considered flashing the space above her, to get a gauge on how closely they were watching her. She needed to know if she could risk texting Joker or if she needed to be under better cover from above.

"I got plenty of my own strings to pull" Flag started to reply, before being cut off by Harley laughing loudly from her position behind them. "You have to pull your own _string_ pretty often, Boss Man?" Harley mocked, as both men turned to look at her. Surprise flickered across Floyd's face, annoyance and concern showed plainly on Flags. "Big guy like you, is it really a string? I do hear those things about steroids" She continued, winking broadly before dropping back.

Flag reddened in anger before shaking his head and turning back to Floyd, who winked back at Harley as she hopped further in the street, growing tired of their conversation, she needed better distractions to keep her wild mind busy. Harley skipped aside to walk in time with Digger, who glanced at her sideways. "Want to play a game?" Harley asked, smiling madly at the man. Digger snorted "I ain't having any part of your crazy games, I've seen the shit you and your fella get up to" He replied quickly.

Harley laughed and nodded, before swooping down and picking up a handful of pebbles. Tossing one up and down casually she looked at Digger "It's fun. Well for me it's fun" She replied, before pelting one of the small stones at the back of one of the soldiers ahead of them. The soldier in question spun around instantly, gun raised, quickly followed by two more of the soldiers.

Harley hid the hand with stones by her side as she faked a loud gasp, pointing at Digger "Digger why would you do that!" She chided "Sorry boys, he gets bored" She called to the soldiers, sharp smile in place as the men kept their guns on a gaping Digger for another moment before all but the man who had been pelted with the stone began turning back around.

"What the hell!" Digger questioned, his voice a slightly higher pitch than usual. "You shouldn't have thrown anything" Harley chided "It's rude" She added, shaking her head at him. "Cut the shit _kangaroo boy_ " One of the guard's sneered, adjusting his gun and turning back around.

"You're crazy!" Digger exclaimed, though no real animosity entered his tone. Harley grinned again "Come on, this is tame. Play with me" Harley taunted slightly. Digger stared at her "Come on, a hundred points if you can hit the head. Fifty for the limbs, ten for the torso" Harley pushed.

Digger glanced at her sideways, before he could answer Harley raised her hand and threw another stone at the same guard, it hit the back of his helmeted head with a thunk. As he spun around, Harley pointed at Digger, eyes wide in false innocence. The guard swore loudly, gaining attention from the rest of the group. With his gun pointed at Digger, eyes glinting angrily he stomped towards the pair.

"Enough of this shit, you-" He growled, pointing at Digger with his weapon "Up ahead, you're walking where I can keep an eye on you". Digger sputtered for a moment as Harley leaned towards him "A hundred points to me" She whispered to him, beaming. Digger threw his hands in the air, powering ahead followed closely by the guard as he muttered loudly "Insane fucking sheila's everywhere. Didn't even get a shot!" Harley heard the Australian man grumbling. Harley continued up the street alone, eyes darting over the surrounding area.

Harley caught sight of the remnants of a plane sticking out of the middle of the street, like some kind of macabre statue. Stepping over the deep gouges and crumbling pieces of the road that had been left in the wake of the evident plane crash, Harley caught up to the rest of the group.

"Take a knee!" She heard Flag call from ahead of the group, the soldiers around him followed his instructions quickly, kneeling beside the man as Floyd leaned down to hear him speak. Harley smiled with humour at the sight and popped a hip, listening to him regardless.

The skyline ahead of the group showed the mostly dark city skyline, one of the buildings appeared to be surrounded by a glowing orange mist, as though on fire without the flames. "Our body's at the top of that building" He said, pointing to the glowing tower. Harley snorted, of course it was the glowing building, it wouldn't be any fun if it wasn't.

"We get up there, pull them out of the vault they're hiding in, helos extract us off the roof" He explained simply, gaining nods from the soldiers around him. "It's miller time" He added, gaze set on the buildings ahead. "Flag who's up there?" Floyd asked, glancing at the man. "It's none of your concern" Flag answered gruffly. "Do you know who's up there?" Floyd pushed. "Nope" Flag replied, straightening from his crouched position.

A display in the shattered window of a storefront caught her eye; an overly expensive golden lamp lay shattered amongst the glittering glass, it's thin white shade in pieces. The sight drew her into her memories abruptly, drowning out the voices of the men around her.

The large library owned by the, soon to be, deceased drug dealer whom had drawn Jokers attention lay in shambles around them. The velvet draped walls torn and frayed, books lay everywhere, their pages ripped across the room like a literary snow storm, chairs and small wooden tables knocked all over the room.

Harley picked up a golden lamp with a beautiful white shade and hurled it through the air, it shattered against the wall beside Joker's head "Don't you threaten to leave me behind! You _need_ me!" Harley had screeched. She knew Joker had been making false threats in his anger at her interruption of his dealings with the mob boss, but the words drew her into a frenzy.

" _Need_ you?" Joker laughed maniacally. "I, I am a idea. I am a state of mind. You were not part of my plan" Joker spoke, his voice rasping as he twirled a finger beside his head. Harley laughed "You need me, you're just too _scared_ to admit it" Harley had retorted.

A low agonised moan drew Harleys attention, she glanced at the pitiful, bloody man tied to a chair (the only one which remained standing at this point) and glared. "Don't interrupt the adults!" She called, irritated as she raised her gun and blew a hole clean through the man's forehead.

" _Scared"_ Joker mocked her words as he made his way closer to her, ignoring the dead man. Pressing himself against the still raised gun, positioning it directly over his heart. "Do it, do it, I dare you. Come on, _come on, come on, come on"_ He chanted, eyes locked with Harleys, fervent in his black humour. Harley rolled her eyes and threw the gun to the side, yanking him by his shoulders down to her level to press a harsh kiss against his lips.

"You're as crazy as me, not as fearless" She mocked, she could feel how mad her eyes must appear in the golden lighting. Joker cackled "I'm smarter than you" He hissed, before shoving her harshly into the wall, pressing his body against hers quickly. " _Scared?_ " He taunted "Never" She replied harshly.

The fight had been followed by passionate, violent, frantic sex, Harley remembered as she came back into the present time. She knew she had been right, one of the voices in her mind laughed in agreement. He might have planned to use and her and throw her away, but oh he needed her now. He _loved_ her, even though many, sometimes Joker himself included, thought him beyond emotions such as those. "'Cause I'm the Doctor after all" Harley said aloud, laughing loudly at her own words, though her heart panged at the thought of what would have happened had Joker really used her and left her after she had broken him free from Arkham Asylum.

"Harley, you coming?" She heard Floyd call from ahead. Harley blinked, pushing the memory of the hurt she had felt at Jokers rejection, however brief it may have been, and painted a smile back on her face. Swinging her bat back onto her shoulders she flashed her teeth at Floyd and skipped up the street to catch up with the group.

Studying the people around her for a moment, her attention focused on Killer Croc. Picking her way over the street, which was littered with plastic water bottles that seemed to have erupted from an overturned truck, now smoking on the side of the road. Standing beside Killer Croc, she nudged him slightly with her arm, causing him to flicker a glance to her.

"Why do you eat people?" She asked, vague memories of her former self dancing around such questions flickered through her head. "It gives me their power" He growled in response. Harley considered this answer for a moment, allowing her interaction with Killer Croc' to fill her mind, distracting the voices in her head whispering dark things of a world without Joker.

Twirling ahead of Killer Croc' Harley walked backwards, so she could face the beastly man. "Would you like to eat me?" She pushed, smiling widely at him. "Oh hell no" He huffed, unflinching at her close proximity. Harley pouted "Aw, why not?" She asked as she spun yet again to walk by his side. This was much more fun than what she remembered of their therapy sessions.

"I don't want your crazy" He answered, Harley heard the huff of a laugh from Floyd behind her. Harley rolled her eyes, offended he wouldn't want to eat her, she would taste good, she was sure. "Says the guy who lives in a sewer" She retorted. "At least I know it's a sewer" He growled.

Harley let out an exaggerated 'Oh' in understanding. "I get it, because this is like a sewer too. Only with nice shops and restaurants, right?" Harley asked, motioning to the surrounding stores with her bat. "You hate mankind much?" She said sarcastically.

"Quin! Hurry it up!" Flag called from ahead, annoyance all over his face. Harley glared for a moment, her fury at being kept from Joker concentrated on the man. "Oh and let me guess what your issue is. Mommy didn't take you to Chuck E. Cheese for your sixth birthday, big ol' mommy issues? I can recommend a good therapist" Harley taunted spitefully, grinning widely as she stepped closer to the man, who glared in response.

"Why?" Diablo asked, stepping up beside Harley as Flag sneered at her and turned to walk ahead. Harley rolled her eyes, swinging her bat onto her shoulders. "Because I'm _bored_. I need a victim, a mind to pry apart and _spit_ into" Harley replied, her face bored as she spat the words at him, finishing with a shark toothed grin that was reminiscent of Jokers own twisted smile.

"You just leave it mate, she's a rabbit hole; don't fall in" Digger chimed in as he passed by, clapping a hand to Diablos back briefly. Harley spun around and caught sight of Katana, walking alone through the street.

"And here's another one now" Harley all but purred, swaying over to the woman, circling her new prey. "Japanese, female, mid twenties, five foot five, good health, athletic" Harley deduced slowly, pointing her bat at the masked woman "And an only child with deep seeded father issues. Daddy wanted a son, so she has to hide behind a mask" Harley concluded, picking on features, true or otherwise, that she knew would garner the biggest reaction.

Katana stopped in place, slowly lifting a hand to remove the white half-mask from her face, giving a clearer view of her surprisingly normal face. "I am not hiding" Katana spoke in clear English, emphasizing her words. Harley grinned as the two remained in place, bodies an inch away from each other. The easiest way to get into people's heads was to push them, and Katana gave easily, a little disappointingly easy.

"Now _that_ was gangster" Harley told the woman, maintaining eye contact as she studied her. Harley became aware of Floyd as he stepped up beside her, grabbing the bat behind her neck he twirled her around and lead her forward, Harley walked along side him with an eye roll.

"Harley, want to stop acting like a drunken stripper?" He stated more than asked. Harley rolled her eyes once again, he was as dim as the rest of them. "You want to tell me what the hell is going on?" Harley retorted.

Floyd stopped and turned to face her, shifting his weight to stare at her. "Because I smell a _rat_ " Harley stage whispered, mockingly sniffing the air around him with a dark grin. "If they don't blow our heads off, we'll have to fight our way out of this city. I need you to play nice with the other children" He answered, Harley swayed side to side slightly as she listened to his words, watching his face soften slightly.

He was an interesting man, annoying, but Harley was good with annoying. "And quietly return to my cage" Harley smiled, speaking quietly. "Sure, okay. Hey that's okay, sellout, I get it. I know how the World works, okay?" Harley said swinging her bat around to gesture at the man in front of her, to which Floyd grabbed the end of the bat holding it in place. "And when it comes to the heart, everyone for themselves, right?" Harley finished, flashing her teeth at him as she yanked the bat out of his hand with surprising strength.

A hint of bitterness entered Harley's mind as she swung the bat back into place across her shoulders, walking off with a slow sway. Love is selfish, a voice in Harley's mind cackled, and Harley was one selfish woman when it came to loving Joker, she would set the World alight, including herself, for him. He will set the World on fire to get her back, Harley mused, though his love showed entirely different from Harleys, the end result in tampering with either of them would be the same. Harley laughed aloud, not entirely sure why as she watched her shadow sway in front of her.


End file.
